One of UK’s favourite sandwich fillings ‘lowers risk of developing dementia’ - how often does it appear in your diet?

19 September 2023, 22:04 | Updated: 20 September 2023, 01:18

One popular sandwich filling could reduce the risk of developing dementia, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that people who regularly ate the filling were less likely to develop dementia, a condition which more than 944,000 people in the UK currently live with and currently has no cure.

The study revealed that those who ate cheese sandwiches were at a lowered risk and performed better on cognitive tests.

A team of scientists in Tokyo, Japan monitored the health, physical activity and eating habits of 1,516 participants over 65 as part of the study.

It involved recording information such as the diets, chronic conditions, muscle mass, body fat, blood pressure, calf size, grip strength, cholesterol and more of those who participated.

Among those monitored, 80% ate cheese - 28% ate it daily, 24% once every two days, and 30% ate it twice a week.

Processed cheese was the most popular form of the dairy item, followed by white mould cheese (e.g. brie and camembert), fresh cheese (e.g. feta and ricotta), and finally blue mould cheese (e.g. Stilton).

Participants of the study answered 30 questions on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) which tested their cognitive function, according to The Sun.

This tested memory, attention, language, orientation and visual-spatial skills.

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A score of 23 or below was set as a threshold that indicated poor cognitive function - and those who regularly consumed the dairy product were less likely to fall below this number.

Those who consumed the food regularly scored 28 on average, compared with those who didn’t, who scored 27 on average.

The cheese lovers also demonstrated slightly lower blood pressure, a faster walking speed and more overall variety in their diets.

But it wasn't all good news for cheese eaters, as the study also found they were more likely to have higher cholesterol and blood sugar.

“Previous studies have shown that a dietary pattern characterised by a high intake of soybean products, vegetables, seaweed, milk, and dairy products, together with a low intake of grain products, is associated with reduced risk of developing dementia,” the authors of the study said in the journal Nutrients.

“Moreover, a high intake of milk and dairy products reduces the risk of developing dementia, especially Alzheimer’s dementia.

"[Our] results suggest that cheese intake is inversely associated with lower cognitive function even after adjusting for multiple confounding factors."

It concluded that while cheese may be beneficial to the brain, further studies were needed to fully assess the role it plays and specifically in relation to dementia.