There has likely never been a better time to be a fan of cheese — at least according to a growing body of research linking dairy consumption to brain health.

In late 2025, a pair of large observational studies examined the relationship between cheese intake and dementia risk. The first, published in October in the journalNutrientssuggested that consuming cheese at least once a week was associated with a slightly lower risk of developing dementia over a three-year period.

The findings were based on data from nearly 8,000 adults enrolled in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), which linked diet and health surveys collected between 2019 and 2022. Researchers compared participants who reported eating cheese weekly with those who said they rarely or never consumed it.

Over the three-year follow-up period, 3.4% of regular cheese eaters were diagnosed with dementia, compared with 4.5% of those who didn’t eat cheese at all. While the absolute difference is modest, it translates to roughly 11 fewer cases of dementia per 1,000 people.

Now, a second study appears to point in a similar direction.

In December, researchers published findings in the journalNeurologybased on a much larger cohort of 27,670 adults in Sweden. Participants were followed for an average of 25 years, during which time 3,208 were diagnosed with dementia.

To assess diet, the researchers relied on participants’ self-reported food diaries, which documented everything they ate over a one-week period and included questions about how often they consumed specific foods, including cheese. Based on these records, participants were divided into two groups: those who consumed at least 50 grams of high-fat cheese per day (roughly two slices of cheddar) and those who consumed less than 15 grams per day.

By the end of the study period, about 10% of people in the higher cheese intake group had developed dementia, compared with 13% in the lower intake group. After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and overall dietary patterns, higher cheese consumption was associated with a 13% lower risk of dementia overall.

Still, experts caution that these findings don’t prove cheese prevents dementia, and they should be interpreted carefully. Both studies were observational, meaning they can identify associations but cannot establish cause and effect.

The researchers also emphasized that not all cheese showed the same relationship. The apparent benefit was limited to high-fat cheeses — defined as those containing than 20% fat — such as cheddar, Brie, and Gouda. Low-fat cheese and other dairy products did not show a similar association. The study further found that people who consumed at least 20 grams of high-fat cream per day had a 16% lower risk of developing dementia compared with those who avoided cream entirely.

“These findings suggest that when it comes to brain health, not all dairy is equal,” Emily Sonestedt, PhD, of Lund University in Sweden and an author of the study, said in a statement. “While eating high-fat cheese and cream was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, other dairy products and low-fat alternatives did not show the same effect. research is needed to confirm our study results and further explore whether consuming certain high-fat dairy truly offers some level of protection for the brain.”

Sonestedt and other experts note several important caveats. Both studies relied on self-reported dietary data, which can be inaccurate, and diet was measured over relatively short periods — even though dementia develops over decades. It’s also possible that people who eat cheese differ from those who don’t in other ways that affect brain health, such as physical activity or access to healthcare.

Additionally, both studies focused on overall dementia diagnoses, rather than specific subtypes like Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, which may have different underlying causes.

Because all participants in the second study lived in Sweden — a country with distinct dietary patterns, agricultural practices, and healthcare systems — the findings may not apply universally. And while high-fat dairy may be linked to lower dementia risk, it’s still high in saturated fat, which has long been associated with increased cardiovascular risk when consumed in excess.