A Japanese study finds that even modest weekly consumption of cheese can help maintain cognitive health, offering new insight into how simple dietary habits can support an aging brain.
Dementia is a growing global health concern that is projected to affect over 150 million people by 2050.
Despite advances in medicine, curative treatments remain limited.
Diet has emerged as a potential protective factor, with a growing body of evidence suggesting that certain foods may influence brain health.
Cheese, in particular, contains bioactive compounds like vitamin K2, peptides, and probiotics.
These may support nerve cell protection through anti-inflammatory and metabolic mechanisms.
The authors conducted a study using data from the 2019 Japan Gerontology Assessment Study (JAGES) survey.
The study found people over 65 who consumed cheese at least once a week had a 21-24% lower risk of dementia.
Analysis of the median survival time showed a difference of about 7.7 days favoring cheese consumers.
These findings suggest that even modest cheese consumption, at least once a week, is associated with a lower incidence of dementia.