Cheese and Health

Cheese is essentially a concentrated milk, so many of the health advantages and disadvantages of milk apply to cheese. It is a rich source of protein, calcium, and energy. The main health concern derives from its high saturated fat content. However, eating cheese as part of a balanced diet is compatible with good health.

Food poisoning

People are often concerned about consuming cheeses made from raw and unpasteurized milk. Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk are required to be aged at least 60 days by law in the US. This requirement extends to imports as well. Cheese in general present a relatively low risk of food poisoning. Soft cheese has the greatest potential for growing pathogens, so even pasteurized versions should be avoided by people vulnerable to infection such as pregnant women, the elderly, and the chronically ill. Hard cheeses are inhospitable to disease microbes and seldom cause food poisoning.

Foreign molds such as Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium viridicatum, and P. cyclopium occasionally develop on the rinds and contaminate the cheese. Though this problem is rare, it is best to discard the cheese in its entirety. 

Some people are sensitive to amines present in strongly ripened cheese. Histamine and tyramine are found in large quantities in Cheddar, blue, Swiss, and Dutch-style cheeses. Sensitive people may suffer a rise in blood pressure, headaches, and rashes.

Tooth decay

Eating cheese slows tooth decay. It appears that when cheese is eaten at the end of a meal, the calcium and phosphate from the cheese blunt the acid rise of bacteria that adhere to teeth, thus preventing tooth decay.