Eating cheese can boost the immune system in elderly.
Chick-fil-A Restaurants might want to start a new marketing campaign for its senior customers: Eat More Cheese.
According to a recent study by University of Turku in Finland, eating cheese can boost the immune system of elderly people by acting as a carrier for probiotic bacteria.
Probiotics are living microorganisms that exist in the stomach that strengthen the immune system and aid digestion. They are usually consumed as part of fermented foods with specially-added active live cultures. If you’ve enjoyed a cup of Activia Yogurt (just as actress Jamie Lee Curtis does), you’ve had probiotic bacteria.
Dr. Fandi Ibrahim, lead author of the probiotic study in the elderly population, said in a statement that:
“The increase in the proportion of aged individuals in modern society makes finding innovative ways to thwart the deterioration of the immune system a priority. The intake of probiotic bacteria has been reported to enhance the immune response through other products, and now we have discovered that cheese can be a carrier of the same bacteria.”
Ibraham’s team conducted a four-week study with volunteers between the ages of 72 and 103 who lived in the same nursing home. Volunteers were asked to eat a slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast. The results, conducted through blood tests, showed a clear boost in the activation of blood cells involved in immunity.
For seniors, eating well-balanced meals in addition to nutrition education and counseling is a vital aspect to healthy living.
Home Instead’s Cooking Under Pressure nutrition campaign is designed to educate and support seniors and their family members who are sometimes stressed-out by the demands of caregiving. With our partners at the University of Maryland and Duke University’s Diet and Fitness Center, we’ve developed a great handbook of nutrition tips. See it here.
Or simply call your Sonoma County Home Instead office at 707.586.1516.
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