Eating cheese and other dairy products does not lead to an increased risk of death from heart disease and stroke, scientists have said. 
 
 In a large-scale analysis, researchers found no association between how much cheese, yoghurt and milk products people consume and their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, in one study analyzed, cheese appeared to be linked with a slightly lower risk of CVD. 
 
 In a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, scientists at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) at the University of Reading, England analyzed 29 studies representing almost 1 million people and 93,000 deaths. 
 
 Within these studies, the team focused on diet—specifically whether they were high or low in dairy products—and the rate of CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD) and death. Analysis included data on 938,465 participants, 93,158 deaths, 28,419 cases of CHD and 25,416 of CVD. 
 
 Their findings showed no association between a diet high in dairy produce and the risk of CVD, CHD or death. “This meta-analysis combining data from 29 prospective cohort studies showed there were no associations between total dairy, high- and low-fat dairy, milk and the health outcomes including all-cause mortality, CHD or CVD,” they wrote. 
 
 “Further analyses of individual fermented dairy of cheese and yogurt showed cheese to have a two percent lower risk of CVD per 10 g/day, but not yogurt.” 
 
 Study author Jing Guo said in a statement: "This latest analysis provides further evidence that a diet that is high in dairy foods is not necessarily damaging to health. The number of participants in particular gives us a really clear global picture of the neutral association of dairy on heart disease risk, and some indications about the potentially beneficial effect of fermented dairy on heart health, although further studies are needed to confirm this." 
 
 Julie Lovegrove, another author, adds: "This supports previous findings that dairy foods, such as milk, cheese and yogurts, can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. We will now be investigating the possible ways that dairy foods may impact on health.” 

 Consumption of even full-fat dairy products does not increase risk, international team of experts says 
 
 Consuming cheese, milk and yoghurt – even full-fat versions – does not increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to research that challenges the widely held belief that dairy products can damage health. 
 
 
 
 The findings, from an international team of experts, contradict the view that dairy products can be harmful because of their high saturated fat content. The experts dismiss that fear as “a misconception [and] mistaken belief”. 
 
 The results come from a new meta-analysis of 29 previous studies of whether dairy products increase the risk of death from any cause and from either serious heart problems or cardiovascular disease. The study concluded that such foodstuffs did not raise the risk of any of those events and had a “neutral” impact on human health. 
 
 Backlash after report claims saturated fats do not increase heart risk Read more 
 
 “This meta-analysis showed there were no associations between total dairy, high- and low-fat dairy, milk and the health outcomes including all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease,” says the report, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. 
 
 Ian Givens, a professor of food chain nutrition at Reading University, who was one of the researchers, said: “There’s quite a widespread but mistaken belief among the public that dairy products in general can be bad for you, but that’s a misconception. While it is a widely held belief, our research shows that that’s wrong. 
 
 “There’s been a lot of publicity over the last five to 10 years about how saturated fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and a belief has grown up that they must increase the risk, but they don’t.” 
 
 However, the government’s health advisers urged consumers to continue to exercise caution about eating too many products high in saturated fat and to stick to low-fat versions instead. 
 
 “Dairy products form an important part of a healthy balanced diet; however, many are high in saturated fat and salt. We’re all consuming too much of both, increasing our risk of heart disease,” said a spokesman for Public Health England. “We recommend choosing lower-fat varieties of milk and dairy products or eating smaller amounts to reduce saturated fat and salt in the diet.” 
 
 Givens and colleagues from Reading, Copenhagen University in Denmark and Wageningen University in the Netherlands analysed 29 studies involving 938,465 participants from around the world undertaken over the last 35 years, including five done in the UK. 
 
 “No associations were found for total (high-fat/low-fat) dairy and milk with the health outcomes of mortality, CHD or CVD,” they said. In fact, they added, fermented dairy products may potentially slightly lower the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. 
 
 Eating more saturated fats raises risk of early death, says US study Read more 
 
 Doctors, public health experts and official healthy eating guidelines have for many years identified saturated fats as potentially harmful for heart and cardiovascular health and advised consumers to minimise their intake. 
 
 That has led to consumers increasingly buying lower-fat versions of dairy products. For example, 85% of all milk sold in the UK is now semi-skimmed or skimmed. 
 
 Givens said consumers were shunning full-fat versions of cheese, milk or yoghurt in the mistaken view that they could harm their health. Young people, especially young women, were now often drinking too little milk as a result of that concern, which could damage the development of their bones and lead to conditions in later life including osteoporosis, or brittle bones, he said. Consuming too little milk can deprive young people of calcium. 
 
 Pregnant women who drank too little milk could be increasing the risk of their child having neuro-developmental difficulties, which could affect their cognitive abilities and stunt their growth, Givens added. 
 
 The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the government’s occasional snapshot of eating habits, found that dairy products, including butter, accounted for the highest proportion of saturated fat consumption in British diets – 27%, compared with meat’s 24%. But if butter was not counted then dairy products together were the second largest source of saturated fat, at 22%. 
 
 Saturated fat is a vital part of diet. The NDNS found that adults typically got 34.6% of their total energy from fats as a whole, just below the 35% the government recommends. However, while total fat consumption was just within target, saturated fats still made up an unhealthily large proportion of total food energy – 12.6%, against the recommended maximum of 11%. 
 
 Givens said: “Our meta-analysis included an unusually large number of participants. We are confident that our results are robust and accurate.” 
 
 The research was part-funded by the three pro-dairy groups – Global Dairy Platform, Dairy Research Institute and Dairy Australia – but they had no influence over it, the paper said. Givens is an adviser to the Food Standards Agency. 

 The belief that consuming too much cheese is harmful to your health is wrong, according to experts, after finding no link between eating dairy products and the elevated risk of a heart attack or stroke. 
 
 The findings challenge the view among many health-conscious eaters that foodstuffs such as full-fat cheese, milk and yogurts could be harmful because of their high saturated fat content. 
 
 "There's been a lot of publicity over the last five to 10 years about how saturated fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and a belief has grown up that they must increase the risk, but they don't," Ian Givens, professor of food chain nutrition at Reading University, told The Guardian newspaper on Tuesday. 
 
 An international team of researchers, including Givens, analyzed results from 29 different medical studies carried out over the last 35 years, using information based on almost 1 million participants. The team's findings were published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. 
 
 "There's quite a widespread but mistaken belief among the public that dairy products in general can be bad for you, but that's a misconception. While it is a widely held belief, our research shows that that's wrong," Givens added. 

 The belief that cheese is bad for you is wrong, researchers have said, after finding no link between eating dairy products and a heightened risk of heart attack and strokes. 
 
 Even full-fat cheese, milk and yoghurt, often avoided by the health-conscious due to their high saturated fat content, does not increase the risk of death or conditions such as coronary heart disease, according to a review of 29 different studies involving nearly a million participants. 
 
 “There’s quite a widespread but mistaken belief among the public that dairy products in general can be bad for you, but that’s a misconception,” said researcher Ian Givens, a nutrition professor at Reading University. 
 
 “While it is a widely held belief, our research shows that that’s wrong," he told The Guardian. 
 
 “There’s been a lot of publicity over the last five to 10 years about how saturated fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and a belief has grown up that they must increase the risk, but they don’t.” 
 
 NHS guidelines suggest people cut the amount of saturated fat they eat, because a diet high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. 
 
 Men are recommend to eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, and women no more than 20g. This sounds like bad news for cheese lovers – if two people share a whole baked 250g camembert, for instance, they will both consume around 19g of saturated fat. 
 
 But overall levels of dairy consumption did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of circulatory conditions such as stroke and heart attacks, according to the study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. 
 
 The research analysed results from previous studies carried out over the last 35 years, using information on the health and diet of 938,465 participants. 
 
 Assorted cheeses (Getty Images / iStock) 
 
 Scientists are divided on whether limiting saturated fats can improve overall health and lower the risk of heart disease. 
 
 A study published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) swapping even one per cent of your daily calorie intake from saturated fats like butter and meat to vegetables, wholegrain carbohydrates or polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil and fish can improve heart health. 
 
 However, previous research from the University of Bergen in Norway found fatty foods such as cheese, butter and cream could in fact help protect people from heart disease when eaten as part of a diet where overall calorie intake is restricted. 
 
 Simon Dankel, who led the study, told The Independent in December the research showed the human body “can do perfectly well with fats as its main energy source.” 
 
 Six healthy breakfast recipes - in pictures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 show all Six healthy breakfast recipes - in pictures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1/6 You will need: 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 1 stick of celery, 1 cup of mushrooms, 4 to 6 eggs, 1 habanero chilli (optional), 1 tablespoon of oil, 25g of grated low-fat cheese, 150 ml of skimmed milk, 50g of turkey breast. Add some spinach for an extra boost. Method: 1) Cook your turkey breast so that it’s ready to add to the mix later on. Best to grill it and then chop it up as it’s healthier than shallow frying. 2) Meanwhile, heat the oil and add your onion, pepper, chilli, mushrooms and celery to your pan. Cook these for around five minutes until your veg is nice and soft. 3) Whisk your eggs and milk together in a separate bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. 4) Add the egg mixture, veg, cooked turkey and cheese to a high-sided baking pan or tin and cook in your oven for around 15 minutes at 170C. DW Fitness Clubs 
 
 1) Cook your turkey breast so that it’s ready to add to the mix later on. Best to grill it and then chop it up as it’s healthier than shallow frying. 2) Meanwhile, heat the oil and add your onion, pepper, chilli, mushrooms and celery to your pan. Cook these for around five minutes until your veg is nice and soft. 3) Whisk your eggs and milk together in a separate bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. 4) Add the egg mixture, veg, cooked turkey and cheese to a high-sided baking pan or tin and cook in your oven for around 15 minutes at 170C. 2/6 Be careful when you buy your porridge, as some brands will cram a lot of sugar in there. Porridge is a good breakfast option as it is renowned for releasing energy slowly, which means you can get to lunch without suffering from a lull. A great source of fibre, potassium and vitamins, bananas are always a good accompaniment to your morning oats. DW Fitness Clubs 
 
 3/6 Ingredients: 2 full eggs, 3 egg whites, asparagus, peppers, 50g of smoked salmon Method 1) Boil your asparagus in water for around five minutes. 2) Meanwhile, mix your eggs and egg whites in a jug, and add a splash of skimmed milk. Chop some peppers up and throw them in too. 3) Once your asparagus is cooked, drain it and chop into smaller chunks. Add these to your egg mixture. 4) Whisk your mixture and season with salt and pepper. 5) Pour the mix into a hot pan with a small knob of butter or a teaspoon of quality olive oil. 6) Cook the omelette for around 90 seconds to two minutes. 7) Once the bottom is cooked, take the pan off the hob and place under the grill for another 30 seconds to a minute in order to cook the top. 8) Serve with your smoked salmon. DW Fitness 
 
 1) Boil your asparagus in water for around five minutes. 2) Meanwhile, mix your eggs and egg whites in a jug, and add a splash of skimmed milk. Chop some peppers up and throw them in too. 3) Once your asparagus is cooked, drain it and chop into smaller chunks. Add these to your egg mixture. 4) Whisk your mixture and season with salt and pepper. 5) Pour the mix into a hot pan with a small knob of butter or a teaspoon of quality olive oil. 6) Cook the omelette for around 90 seconds to two minutes. 7) Once the bottom is cooked, take the pan off the hob and place under the grill for another 30 seconds to a minute in order to cook the top. 8) Serve with your smoked salmon. 4/6 Greek yoghurt has vast nutritional benefits. Regardless of where you stand on the superfood debate, Greek yoghurt’s credentials speak for themselves. A good source of potassium, protein, calcium and essential vitamins, this food forms an ideal base for a healthy breakfast, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. DW Fitness 
 
 5/6 Eggs Florentine is not only a tasty breakfast, it also carries a hefty nutritional punch, particularly when you throw some spinach into the equation. DW Fitness 
 
 6/6 So fast and easy to make, yet so effective. Wholemeal toast can be a good breakfast choice, as long as you are sensible with your toppings. Peanut butter is perfect. A good source of “healthy fats”, as well as protein and Vitamin E among other nutrients, a liberal spreading of peanut butter can set you up for the day. DW Fitness 
 
 “People will say: ‘you can’t lose weight, you can’t go on any diets with saturated fats, no matter what’,” said Dr Dankel. 
 
 “But in this context, we see a very positive metabolic response. You can base your energy in your diet on either on carbohydrates or fat. It doesn’t make a big difference.” 
 
 According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF)’s website, eating too much cheese “could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease”, and the organisation recommends people “enjoy it sensibly”. 
 
 "Saturated fat can increase the ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol in your blood which can cause fatty material to build up in your artery walls. The risk is particularly high if you have a high level of bad cholesterol and a low level of good cholesterol," says the organisation. 
 
 The new research was part-funded by three pro-dairy groups, but they had no influence over the contents of the paper, according to The Guardian.
– Gouda news for cheese lovers: Despite claims that the fatty treat does damage to your cardiovascular health, a review of 29 studies has found no evidence that full-fat dairy products like cheese and milk boost one's risk of death, heart attack, or stroke. While many dairy products are high in saturated fat—and health guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat in your diet, per the Independent—the studies involving almost a million participants showed dairy products have a "neutral" effect on health. Fermented cheese might even lower one's risk of cardiovascular disease slightly, the report finds, per Newsweek. Researchers acknowledge three pro-dairy groups helped fund the review but say they had no input in the results, per the Guardian. "There's quite a widespread but mistaken belief among the public that dairy products in general can be bad for you," says Ian Givens of Reading University, an author of the report in the European Journal of Epidemiology. This is one reason why young people are drinking less milk, putting them at risk of osteoporosis in later life, he adds. But "our meta-analysis included an unusually large number of participants. We are confident that our results are robust and accurate." Some still remain unconvinced. A doctor at the British Heart Foundation, for example, says "decades of research have proved that a diet rich in saturated fat increases 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol in your blood, which puts you at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke," per CNBC. (The US has way too much cheese.)