Stilton, Roquefort or Gorgonzola: The health benefits of blue cheese

Telegraph

5 days ago

Though it's as closely associated with France as baguettes, strings of onions (worn around the neck, of course) and the Eiffel Tower, the French are turning their backs on smelly cheese.
That's according to a study by the OpinionWay Institute for the Académie Phormos, a Parisian association of eminent cheese lovers, which found that 9 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 5 per cent of the general population said they wouldn't eat strong cheese. The findings will have been received particularly badly for producers of blue cheeses, which were roughly half as popular as soft and semi-hard ones.
Still, it's not all bad news for cheesemakers who work with penicillium roqueforti and other moulds to turn their cheese blue. A comprehensive review from Université Clermont Auvergne last year found that blue cheeses such as French Roquefort, English Stilton and Italian Gorgonzola are a good source of bioactive peptides and essential amino acids, which are created when the penicillium mould grows within the cheese.
One of the most powerful compounds found in blue cheese, spermidine, has even been linked to anti-ageing properties and all sorts of other 'miracle' effects. But is some blue cheese healthier than others? Here's everything you need to know.
The health benefits of blue cheese
Boosts your gut health
The importance of good gut health has been one of the biggest discoveries in the science of overall health in our lifetimes, and blue cheese can play a part in that.
'Blue cheese is also a great source of beneficial bacteria, which plays a vital role in nourishing the bacteria in the gut,' says Hope. 'Obtaining a healthy gut has been associated with a wide range of health outcomes such as improved weight management, a higher functioning immune system, better sleep, improved stress management and even the ability to make healthier dietary and lifestyle choices.'
However, Dr Duane Mellor, a dietitian and spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, is sceptical about whether the effect is from the cheese itself, or the way we're consuming it.
'The lower gut is mainly devoid of oxygen and most moulds like those used to make blue cheese tend to metabolise with oxygen,' Dr Mellor explains. 'Yeast can do it without oxygen, but fungi-like moulds? I'd be surprised if it makes it that far. Potentially the cellular structure might make it useful to the bacteria in the gut, but I'm hesitant to say that for certain. But if you're having your Stilton with broccoli, you're getting fibre from the vegetables, which we know feeds good gut bacteria.'
It's high in calcium and protein
Another benefit about all cheeses is that they're a good source of calcium. 'Calcium is really abundant in most cheeses because they're made with milk, which is produced by cows to promote bone development in their calves, and that's really important in building strong bones and teeth for us too,' says Hope.
'Cheese can be a great source of protein and healthy fats along with calcium and phosphorus, which is pivotal for supporting a healthy heart, bones and teeth,' Hope adds. 'Protein plays an important role in hormone function, energy, cell function and satiety.'
Is it worth remembering, however, that hard cheeses like parmesan tend to be higher in calcium and protein than the softer and more crumbly cheeses.
Could help prevent heart disease
The usual health advice is to avoid saturated fat if you want to lower your risk of heart disease. However, the saturated fat in cheese might be less dangerous than other kinds. For example, a 2021 University of Cambridge study found that people eating dairy were less likely to get cardiovascular illnesses than those who were eating the same amount of saturated fat from red meat. Meanwhile, one 2019 review of studies found that fermented dairy such as cheese actually protected against conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, regardless of whether the dairy was low or full-fat.
'Yogurt and cheese contain vitamin K2 and fermentation products that previous studies have linked to lower heart disease risk,' the study's co-author Prof Nita Forouhi told The Telegraph. One of those fermentation products is spermidine, which has also been shown to improve heart health and increase longevity.
Improves your metabolism
'Fermented dairy contains a lot of short-chain fatty acids, which are linked to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and increasing metabolism,' says Dr Mellor. 'Again, it's in the context of cheese as part of a healthy diet with a few grapes and celery on the side and not a load of high fat and salty biscuits.
'Those short-chain fatty acids can help regulate your appetite, especially when eaten with fibre,' Dr Mellor continues. 'Consuming them has a signalling effect to our brains, telling us to start digesting, which speeds up our metabolism, lowering cholesterol. So they're a bit of a regulator in our diets.'
Fermented cheese could help with dementia
In 2016, a team of scientists at the University Of Tokyo found that the peptides and lactic acid bacteria may indicate 'that fermented dairy products have preventive effects against dementia, including Alzheimer's disease'. This is because a number of molecules created when the mould used in the fermentation process breaks down the cheese were found to reduce inflammation in the brain.
In 2020, researchers also linked spermidine to improved cognitive performance in people with mild and moderate dementia, while a 2022 study suggested that spermidine would be a good therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Which blue cheese is healthiest?
Of the three most common varieties of blue cheese – Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola – it's the English that comes out as the healthiest overall, says Hope.
'Stilton is the highest in protein and contains a lot of spermidine,' says Hope. 'However, be mindful that it is probably also the highest in saturated fat, so you should consume it in moderation. Thirty grams per week is probably enough.'
Roquefort is lower in calories and saturated fat than Stilton, and is still a rich source of protein, but does contain less than its English cousin.
Italian Gorgonzola contains the lowest levels of saturated fat and also the least salt, but likely contains the least of that miraculous spermidine too.
Risks of eating blue cheese
For all its benefits, there are also some risks associated with eating too much blue cheese. It can be fairly high in sodium (salt) compared to other kinds of cheese. One hundred grams of Roquefort contains almost three times as much salt as the same amount of cheddar. 'It definitely depends on the variety so make sure to read the label, some blue cheeses can have up to half a teaspoon of salt per 100g,' says Dr Mellor. 'A high-salt diet is linked to high blood pressure which is also linked to heart attacks and strokes, so you have to be aware that the salt in the cheese might well out-do any of the potential benefits you'd get from the spermidine.'
'It is important to highlight that those with a reduced immune function: elderly with compromised health, very young children and pregnant women should avoid blue cheese due to a risk of bacterial contamination,' adds Hope.
Dr Mellor advises that 20-25g of blue cheese, two or three times a week, is probably the right amount. 'The advantage of blue cheese is that the flavour is really strong, so you don't need much to really give a dish plenty of flavour,' he says.
Verdict: is blue cheese good for you?
Yes, to an extent. 'It has some benefits but the salt content is a cautionary flag for me,' says Dr Mellor. 'It creates strong flavours which means you don't need to use too much of it so that's positive. For most people, you don't need to eat a lot of blue cheese so it's a good flavour addition.'
We know that spermidine has plenty of important uses in keeping the body healthy and youthful, though Dr Mellor isn't sure that the vigorous and hearty people who have the highest levels of spermidine in their bodies are necessarily getting it all from cheese.
'Anything that has lots of cells in it will contain quite a lot of spermidine,' he adds. 'When you start looking at populations that have a high amount of spermidine in their diet, they don't just eat a lot of aged and fermented cheese, they also eat a lot of wholegrains, vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. It's no surprise that people who eat lots of these things have a long, healthy life – it's the Mediterranean diet.'
Healthy blue cheese recipes