You probably didn’t need any more reasons to eat cheese, but science has just reared its head and given us one anyway – cheese kills cancer cells.
According to a new study by the University of Michigan, nisin – a peptide born from the bacteria Lactococcus lactis – a natural preservative in dairy products like Cheddar, Brie, and Camembert cheeses – dramatically reduced tumours in mice.
The researchers’ findings – published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology – revealed that the peptide killed between 70 and 80 per cent of cancer cells in nine weeks after the mice were given ‘nisin milkshakes.’
However, according to Delish.com it’s best not to get too excited just yet. Before you go out and start mainlining fondue through your eyeballs, the researchers point out it is too early to say if nisin will act the same way in humans.
Also – although I’m sure some people would be able to give it a good go – you would have to eat your bodyweight in brie to experience the cancer-busting effects, as the ‘nisin milkshake’ contained about 20 times more of the protein than normally occurs in food.
Obviously there are the potential hazards of eating an inhuman amount of cheese to take into account – cholesterol and fat aren’t top of the list when it comes to eating healthily.
But who knows, maybe one day in the not-too-distant-future Dairylea dunkers will be available on the NHS. We’ll have to just wait and see.
