Small daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may stave off bone thinning

Just a 57g daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help reduce bone thinning without boosting harmful low density cholesterol, a small trial suggests. The effects seem to be specific to Jarlsberg in particular, the findings indicate.

Jarlsberg is a mild and semi-soft cheese made from cow’s milk. Distinctive regular holes and a nutty flavoured make the cheese a firm favourite around the world. Originating from Jarlsberg in Norway, previous research indicates that it may help boost levels of osteocalcin, a hormone that is associated with strong bones and teeth.

Until now, however, it has not been clear if this effect is specific to Jarlsberg or any type of cheese.

In a bid to find out, the researchers studied 66 healthy women who were randomly allocated to adding either a daily 57g portion of Jarlsberg or 50g of Camembert cheese to their diet for six weeks. At the end of this period, the group eating Camembert was switched to Jarlsberg for another six weeks.

Why compare Jarlsberg with Camembert?

Jarlsberg and Camembert have similar fat and protein contents, but unlike Camembert, Jarlsberg is rich in vitamin K2.

What did the trial discover?

• Markers of positive effects on bone health increased in the Jarlsberg group. These markers remained unchanged or even lowered in the Camembert group. But when the Camembert group switched to Jarlsberg, the markers increased.
• Blood fats increased slightly in both groups. But levels of total cholesterol and harmful cholesterol fell in the Camembert group after they switched to Jarlsberg.
• Calcium and magnesium fell in the Jarlsberg group but remained unchanged in the Camembert group. After switching cheese, calcium levels dropped in this group too, possibly reflecting increased uptake of these key minerals in bone formation.

“This study shows that while calcium and vitamin D are known to be extremely important for bone health, there are other key factors at play, such as vitamin K2, which is perhaps not as well known,” comments Prof Sumantra Ray who works with BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, where the trial is published.

Jarlsberg is widely available in shops and online. Click here if you’d like to read how to add it to Mac and Cheese!

For more foodie news relating to arthritis, fibromyalgia and bone health, click here.

PS Did you know that Arthritis Digest Magazine is labelled the best UK Arthritis blog from thousands of blogs on the web ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness?