Eating cheese weekly may lower dementia risk, finds new Japanese study

A new three-year study following thousands of older Japanese adults suggests that eating cheese at least once a week may slightly lower dementia risk, but more research is needed to confirm the link

Could your favourite cheese toastie be doing more than satisfying cravings? A new Japanese study published in the journal Nutrients suggests that a simple weekly serving of cheese might offer surprising benefits for long-term brain health, including a potentially lower risk of dementia.

What the study revealed

 

The research, titled 'Cheese Consumption and Incidence of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Japanese Adults: The JAGES 2019–2022 Cohort Study', followed 7914 Japanese adults aged 65 or older, all of whom were dementia-free at the start. Participants were classified based on whether they ate cheese at least once a week or not.

 

Over three years, 3.4 per cent of the weekly-cheese consuming group developed dementia, compared with 4.5 per cent in the non-cheese consuming group. That amounts to about 10 fewer dementia cases per 1,000 people.  When statistically adjusted for factors such as age, lifestyle, diet and health conditions, cheese eaters showed a 21–24 per cent lower risk of dementia.

 

"Although the effect for each person is modest, at a population scale, especially in countries with low cheese intake, such differences could contribute meaningfully to dementia prevention strategies," Seungwon Jeong, co-author, geriatrics researcher at Niimi University, Japan.

Why cheese might help the brain

 

Researchers propose several plausible mechanisms behind the association:

 

• Cheese, especially fermented types, is rich in nutrients such as vitamin K, bioactive peptides, antioxidants and potentially probiotics. These may support vascular and brain health, reduce inflammation, and influence the gut–brain connection.
• Fermented dairy has previously been linked to reduced cardiovascular and metabolic risks, both known risk factors for dementia.

The authors emphasise that the study measured cheese intake frequency, not portion size and most participants consumed processed cheese, which may have fewer of these beneficial compounds than traditionally fermented cheeses.

What are the limitation?

 

It’s important to remember that this was an observational study. While the association is real, it does not prove that eating cheese causes reduced dementia risk. Additionally, several limitations remain:

• Cheese intake was self-reported and only captured once at baseline
• Portion size wasn’t tracked
• Follow-up period was relatively short

Moreover, earlier research found that not all cheese types may have the same effect. "These findings are consistent with prior observational evidence linking dairy intake to cognitive health," shared Jeong.

What it means for you

 

Experts say that a modest, weekly cheese habit, particularly as part of an overall balanced diet, might play a small supportive role in long-term brain health. But it’s no guarantee. If you love cheese, there’s likely no harm in enjoying it moderately, though you shouldn’t treat it as a guaranteed dementia shield.

 

"Further research is warranted to clarify dose-response relationships, cheese subtypes, and underlying mechanisms," said the researchers in the paper.