Facebook Pixel

Probiotic Cheese Enhances Immune Function In Elderly

By HERWriter
 
Rate This

Who would have imagined that an unexpected bonus as we age would turn out to be a renewed and greater appreciation of cheese? But in their report on the effects of probiotic Gouda cheese on immune system function, scientists in Finland have found reason to believe that this should be so.

Seems that sometimes the immune systems of elderly people may have a problem called immunosenescene, a nasty condition leaving them prone to infection. Immunosenescene leaves the body less able to kill cancer cells and immune system function is weakened.

Volunteers between the ages of 72 and 103 were asked to eat cheese, half of them eating probiotic Gouda cheese, and half eating a placebo cheese. They did this for four weeks. At the end of that time, results very clearly indicated a marked improvement in immune system function.

"Both the Gouda cheeses used in the experiment were commercially available, said the scientists. The probiotic Gouda cheese was rich in the bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/14/finland.cheese.immune.system.elderly/index.html?eref=rss_health&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_health+%28RSS%3A+Health%29

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Jody Smith
Champion
HERWriter View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Healthy Eating

Get Email Updates

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!