Cardiovascular Diseases: Prevention Through Omega-3 Enriched Cheeses
Cardiovascular diseases: here are cheeses enriched with Omega 3
Milk and cheese can help prevent cardiovascular diseases if enriched with Omega-3, by introducing extruded flaxseed into the diet of cattle. This is stated by experts who met at the Vega Science and Technology Park in Marghera for the conference "Milk, new nourishment" on last February 29th. The research leading to this conclusion is the result of collaboration between the University of Padua, Veneto Agricoltura, and Latteria di Soligo.
Cardiovascular diseases: Omega-3 to promote good health
A varied and balanced diet is one of the best strategies to maintain good health. Some nutrients also have beneficial properties that promote a healthy state. This is the case with Omega-3, whose benefits for heart and vessels have been demonstrated by years of research in the field. In fact, people who consume high amounts of these fatty acids have a lower risk of heart diseases. Omega-3s also prevent heart damage caused by heart attacks and reduce mortality associated with this event.
Sources of Omega-3
The main sources of these valuable nutrients are fatty marine fish:
- mackerel
- salmon
- halibut
- herring
Some plant-based products, such as flaxseeds and walnuts, can also be good sources of Omega-3. There is also a whole range of dietary supplements and enriched foods that can be useful to increase daily intake of these fatty acids. According to research presented at this conference, a valid alternative to produce foods rich in Omega-3 is to introduce extruded flaxseed in the diet of dairy cows, a product rich in these nutrients.
Omega-3 from milk to cheese
Researchers at the University of Padua analyzed whether Omega-3s consumed daily by cows fed with extruded flaxseed were also transmitted to the cheeses produced from their milk. Extruded flaxseed was chosen because it contains much higher levels of these nutrients compared to Omega-6, a group of fatty acids abundant in Western diets but without the same benefits as Omega-3s. Lucia Bailoni, from the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science at the University of Padua, explained that its use led to a significant increase in Omega-3 levels. In some aged cheeses produced with milk from these cows, it was possible to reach the threshold set by the European Union, equal to 0.3 grams of Omega-3 per 100 grams of food product.
Cheeses with Omega-3 to prevent cardiovascular diseases
According to Bailoni, this is the first study to scientifically analyze the transfer of Omega-3 from milk to cheese. The enrichment approach used by the researchers differs from the traditional method, which involves adding fish oil rich in Omega-3 to the milk. However, the analyses conducted concluded that this new method is also effective and produces a food product useful for cardiovascular prevention.
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