The Cheese Tray Secret to Better Bone Strength
I love it when my wife puts together a good cheese and cracker board. I think they call them “charcuterie boards” these days.
I just call them delicious.
With a spread that includes cheese, crackers, jam, meat, nuts, and fruit… what’s not to love?
Rhina often includes a tasty Norwegian cheese that happens to be one of my favorites. So I did a double-take this morning when I read a new study.
Researchers found that this particular cheese happens to be GREAT for your bones AND your blood sugar.
If you haven’t tried Jarlsberg cheese, you’re missing out.
This mild cheese has a nutty, buttery-rich flavor, and large holes throughout. It’s a bit like Swiss cheese.
A recent study compared the effects of eating Jarlsberg cheese every day for six weeks to eating Camembert.
These cheeses are similar in fat and protein levels, but Jarlsberg has more vitamin K2.
Results showed that eating Jarlsberg cheese every day led to…
- Increases in vitamin K2 levels
- Significant increases in levels of a peptide called PNIP that helps bones renew themselves
- Decreases in blood glucose levels
This was in stark contrast to eating the Camembert cheese. The Camembert folks ended up with higher cholesterol, no beneficial changes in their PNIP levels, increased blood glucose levels, and worse indicators of bone health.
In other words, eating Jarlsberg daily could preserve bone strength and improve blood sugar levels—without causing a negative change in your cholesterol. But the benefits don’t end there.
Other studies have shown that eating Jarlsberg cheese can boost osteocalcin levels, a hormone connected to strong bones and teeth.
Jarlsberg cheese also produces a substance called DNHA, which has been shown to potentially reduce bone thinning and increase bone tissue formation.
These bone and blood-sugar benefits put Jarlsberg cheese in a superfood category all its own. And that means this tasty treat is the perfect healthy snack any day of the week.
P.S. Shoring up your bone strength doesn’t have to end with Jarlsberg. Start your day with these five bone-supporting breakfast foods.
SOURCE:
“Effect on bone anabolic markers of daily cheese intake with and without vitamin K2: a randomised clinical trial,” BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health 2022;e000424. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000424
