In Japan, researchers followed several thousand elderly people to understand whether consuming cheese could have beneficial effects on the brains of these elderly people. latest. THE results are quite surprising, since the authors noted a gap in the incidence of dementia between cheese eaters and others.
Around ten fewer cases of dementia per 1,000 inhabitants
In the land of the rising sun, cheese does not occupy a very important place in the daily diet. And yet, researchers from Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) chose to follow 7,900 people aged 65 and over on the period 2019-2022, with the aim of learn about possible positive effects on the brainregarding cheese consumption. THE results of this work was the subject of a publication in the journal Nutrients on October 25, 2025.
The authors of the study obtained results astonishing. In fact, here we are talking about a dementia incidence of 3.4% among cheese consumers (at least once a week), compared to 4.5% among others. This difference of 1.1% can appear negligible but in reality, the latter still corresponds to 10.6 fewer cases of dementia per 1,000 inhabitants.
“Our results support previous data indicating that dairy products may play a beneficial role in preventing dementia, but further studies are needed before making definitive recommendations. Future research could clarify the relationships dose-responsecheese subtypes and underlying mechanisms. »we can read in the study.
Is the study really relevant?
Japanese researchers did not hesitate to put their results into perspective. In addition, the food factor was isolated within the framework of this study, work also concerning people living in a country where consumption remains very far from that observed in particular in Europe.
Nevertheless, the study seems quite relevant, as cheese contains several nutrients of interest to the brain, including proteins and amino acids. important for the preservation of nerve cells. Let us also mention the presence of fat-soluble vitamins such as K2, playing a key role in the regulation of calcium in the blood, a crucial feature with regard to vascular health.
In their review, the authors mentioned “previous data”. These come from several studies previous ones, some of which have been carried out in Europe. In Finland, researchers observed a 28% reduction in the risk of dementia among major cheese consumers. In the United Kingdom, others have linked such consumption et better brain connectivityparticularly in carriers of the APOE4 gene, known to promote the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Obviously, pending other studies to come, it is for the moment difficult to firmly assert that cheese represents really a way to prevent dementia. However, the addition ofnutrient-rich foods in the diet might be welcome among people of a certain age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 57 million people worldwide were affected by dementia in 2021, with around ten million new cases appearing per year.
