The best news of the day: cheese and red wine keep you smart

In a world where we are constantly being bombarded with terrible news, there are thankfully also some bright spots. Such as the fact that researchers at Iowa State University have identified certain correlations between food and drink consumption and cognitive decline. Put simply: there is a positive relationship between eating cheese and brain function, and between drinking red wine and cognitive functions. Even more simply put: cheese and red wine keep you smart.

So we’re doing a little happy dance around the room, heading straight for the cheese board and the wine bottle, because this is seriously great news. Of course, there are caveats that we’ll explain in a moment, but first, shall we raise a glass?

Eating and drinking for the greater research purpose

The study was published in November 2020 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and is described on the website Science Daily, where scientific news and studies are summarized. Participants were monitored during different stages of life, and their eating and drinking habits were recorded and compared with the results of various cognitive tests.

Cheese please

For the precise figures, you would have to read the full report, but Science Daily can report that the study shows cheese offers a surprisingly high degree of protection against age-related cognitive problems. Tell us more! Cheese may also help prevent the deterioration of memory, attention and concentration later in life. So you don’t have to start eating it early, which is good news for young people who still need some time to get used to the smell of the best stinky cheeses.

Pop, pour it out

And what about that red wine? A small glass also appeared to be associated with improved cognitive functions such as memory, attention and concentration later in life. Now that’s worth celebrating! For example, with a glass of Sangiovese, lovely and bright with a refined character.

Butttt…

Of course, we’re all smart enough to know that this doesn’t mean you should now sit down every day and polish off a complete cheese board with an entire bottle of wine. In any case, it turned out that as a nation we hadn’t quite correctly estimated what the quantity meant by ‘one glass of wine’ actually is, so we first need to work on recalibrating our understanding in that area.

And eating a cheese board every day would obviously give you far too much saturated fat. But seeing proven that, in small quantities, these two pleasures in life not only improve your mood but also benefit your brain function is naturally one of the best things that could still have happened to humanity in 2020—and that we’re still stubbornly holding on to four years later!

Also read:

• Why does red wine make you tired?
• Are you drinking the wrong wine with your cheese board?
• Golden wine tips for your cheese fondue