Fortunes of cheese at a turning point

摘要

Cheese is at day 1 of a new era of opportunity. After 40 years of being demonized for its fat and salt content cheese today stands at the threshold of a turnaround that could see it re-established as a natural and healthy wholefood, like many other foods before it, from nuts to eggs. Science has now established that cheese is not harmful, neither for its saturated fat content nor for its sodium, with no link to cardiovascular disease or to elevated blood pressure. In fact, it could well be beneficial to health thanks to its high protein and calcium content. For years consumers have worried about their cheese intake, which is hardly surprising given that "avoid too much fat and cholesterol" was among the top recommendations of most governments' healthy eating advice, coupled with the advice that foods such as cheese help increase the risk of heart disease.