4 min readThis article is part of a larger delicious package all about the health and glory of real cheese. Check out more here.
BRING UP CHEESE to the average person trying to eat a healthful diet and you might as well be insulting their mother.
Oh my god, CHEESE? Don’t you know it’s addictive? Don’t you know how fattening cheese is? Don’t you know that it’ll fire up all kinds of inflammation in your body? HOW DARE YOU.
Look, I’m sure that their mother is a very nice person, and also that they themselves may have been led astray when it comes to what cheese can and can’t do. There are a fair number of myths out there—some that are based in a grain (curd?) of truth, and some that are totally bonkers.
We reached out to three experts with four rumors about cheese to see if they actually check out.
Is Cheese Addictive?
NO, BUT HERE’S a case where there’s a little science behind the myth.
"The theory that cheese is addictive comes from the fact that casein, a protein found in all dairy, releases opioid casomorphins as a digestive byproduct,” says Kelsey Kunik, RDN, the founder of Graciously Nourished, a dietetic practice. "But the amount of opioid peptides you get from eating a piece of cheese is nowhere near what medication provides.” (This is why cheese also won’t get you high, unfortunately/fortunately.)
Scientists have conducted research with high-fat (and high-sugar) foods to see if they activate similar centers of the brain as addictive drugs like opioids. A recent review found conflicting results among studies over the years.
Yet while cheese may not addictive, it’s one of those foods that’s easy to overeat.
"Cheese does contain compounds that stimulate the brain's reward system, so the brain does enjoy you eating it and will encourage further consumption,” says Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD, CSCS, CISSN, director of nutrition at Precision Nutrition, and a Men’s Health Advisor. "Regardless, this is not the same as addiction. Addiction manifests as compulsive behavior, withdrawal symptoms, and significant harm to the person (physical, mental, or emotional).”
That said, Kunik says that it's important to note your feelings about various foods, including cheese, because that can affect feeling out-of-control around them. "In practice, my clients who used to feel out of control around cheese (and other dairy foods, such as ice cream) found a significant reduction in cravings and overindulging when they overcame the idea that these foods are inherently bad and need to be restricted.”
You hear that? Not only is cheese not addictive, it isn’t “bad” either.
Is Cheese Bad for Your Heart?
THAT LARGELY DEPENDS on what kinds and how much you’re eating.
"Most cheeses are rich in saturated fats, which can increase LDL-cholesterol levels as well the number of problematic lipoproteins in your blood (ApoB),” says St. Pierre. "However, cheese is also rich in something called milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). This complex layer of lipids and protein seems to help prevent or limit the increase in ApoB or LDL-C from the saturated fats in cheeses (especially aged hard and semi-hard cheeses).” By comparison, butter is very low in MFGM and is known to increase ApoB and LDL-C.
Processed cheese has the least amount of MFGM, and processing actually makes the amount it does have less beneficial, St. Pierre says. Fresh cheeses (mozzarella, burrata, goat cheese, feta) have more MFGM and aged cheeses (Parmigiano Reggiano, gorgonzola, gouda), have the most.
And if you keep cheese consumption to reasonable intakes (0 to 2 servings per day most days), says St. Pierre, then heart riskfrom cheese should be relatively low. Important caveat: This also depends on the rest of your diet.
Does Eating Cheese Cause Inflammation?
UNLESS YOU HAVE lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy, no, cheese is not inflammatory.
"While we can't go as far as to say that cheese should be part of an anti-inflammatory diet, extensive research has found that cheese does not increase inflammatory markers in the body,” Kunik says. "As cheese is a fermented dairy product, it may be slightly more beneficial to your gut health and reduce inflammation in the body than other dairy products, but more research on this topic is needed.”
It also might depend on the type of cheese.
“Dairy is at least inflammation neutral,” St. Pierre says. "And aged cheese in particular might even be anti-inflammatory, though this research is ongoing.” That’s because aged cheeses have bioactive compounds and some have probiotics that seem to have anti-inflammatory benefits, he says.
Does Eating Cheese Cause Nightmares?
HA, NO.
"There was a study in 2015 which was a silly attempt to classify dreams based on cheese ingested,” says W. Christopher Winter, MD, a sleep specialist/neurologist, author of The Sleep Solution, and a Men’s Health Advisor. The researchers found "Mainly nothing and probably related to lactose intolerant people waking up and experiencing their dreams. Nothing to see here.”
Paul Kita is a Deputy Editor at Men's Health, where he has covered food, cooking, nutrition, supplements, grooming, tech, travel, and fatherhood at the brand for more than 15 years. He is also the author of two Men's Health cookbooks, Guy Gourmet and A Man, A Pan, A Plan, and the winner of a James Beard Award.
