Eating dairy food could prevent a heart attack, new research suggests.
Cheese
Scientists have revealed that people who consume foods such as butter, cream and cheese are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) and that higher intakes of dairy fat are not associated with an increased risk of death.
Researchers measured dairy intakes by levels of fatty acids in the blood for the study, which was published in the PLoS Medicine journal.
The study's co-author Dr. Matti Marklund, from Uppsala University in Sweden, said: "Many studies have relied on people being able to remember and record the amounts and types of dairy foods they have eaten, which is especially difficult, given dairy is commonly used in a variety of foods.
"Instead, we measured blood levels of certain fatty acids, or fat ‘building blocks’ that are found in dairy foods, which gives a more objective measure of dairy fat intake that doesn’t rely on memory or the quality of food databases.
"We found those with the highest levels actually had the lowest risk of CVD."