Osteoporosis is a condition of the bones in which they become brittle and break easily. There are some medicines for it but they are not 100% effective.
The best way is to prevent the disease by eating healthily. Diet has a vital role in it and certain foods are useful in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Cheese is good for bone health but there is a particular cheese that is highly effective in the preventive role. It is the Jarlsberg cheese.
Osteoporosis and diet
Osteoporosis is a crippling disease of old age. It has affected around 54 million people in the USA. And the global figures stand at 200 million.
There is a familial association. People with this disease have extremely brittle bones. They fracture with minimal stress.
The most common bones to bear the brunt of this disease are bones of the spine, hip bone, and forearm bones. A large number of people are at risk of developing the disease as they age.
Once developed, the disease has no cure. Calcium supplements and Vitamin D supplements along with some medicines are the treatment of the disease until now. But these are not 100% effective and have their limitations and side effects.
Jarlsberg cheese (Source: New England cheesemaking)Therefore, the only thing that would be effective would be to prevent the disease before it develops. Healthy eating plays a vital role in this.
Cheese is good in providing strength to the weakening bones. But there is one type of cheese that is especially beneficial in the prevention of osteoporosis. It should become a part of the daily diet of those who are at risk of the disease.
The Norway study on cheese and bones
The recent issue of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health carried an article from Norway that studied the bone anabolic markers after consumption of two types of cheese; Jarlsberg cheese and Camembert cheese.
This study was over 12 weeks and 66 healthy female volunteers were part of it. The group was divided into two. One was given Jarlsberg cheese for 6 weeks while the second group got Camembert cheese for the same period.
57 grams of Jarlsberg cheese was consumed daily and Camembert cheese consumption was 25-50 grams daily.
Jarlsberg cheese (Source: Your grocer)After 6 weeks, the group consuming Camembert cheese was switched to eating cheese Jarlsberg. Bone anabolic markers were studied in the blood of both groups.
These bone anabolic markers were better in those who consumed Jarlsberg. These markers showed that the bones of these people would not get thinner with age if they consumed the Jarlsberg cheese.
Jarlsberg cheese
Jarlsberg cheese is a mild cheese that is made from cow’s milk. Its classification is in the Swiss cheese category. Both Jarlsberg and Camembert cheese have similar amounts of fats and proteins in them.
But the point on which Jarlsberg scores is its content of vitamin K2. This improves bone health and strengthens it along with vitamin D and calcium. Therefore, this cheese is better for the prevention of osteoporosis compared to the other cheese types.
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Cheese Jarlsberg (Source: The spruce eats)Lisa Young is an expert dietitian. She suggests incorporating this cheese into her daily diet. For this, she says:
“Instead of eating a slice of toast with butter, choose a slice of Jarlsberg. Top with tomato and melt it in the toaster.”