Milk vs Cheese - Health impact and Nutrition Comparison

Summary

Cheese has higher amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B2, B12, and A. Meanwhile, milk has negligible fats and cholesterol. Levels of sodium and fat in cheese have to be taken into consideration. Moderate consumption of both is considered beneficial.

Introduction

Cheese and milk are dairy products that are usually consumed daily. Cheese is a derivative of milk that comes from cattle, thus classifying it as dairy. Therefore, both cannot be consumed in a vegan diet.

For individuals who do not consume dairy products, vegans, for example, non-dairy versions of cheese and milk, are available. It is important to note that this comparative analysis will not discuss vegan versions of cheese and milk.

Given that there is a large variety of cheese worldwide, we will be focusing on cheddar in this analysis. We will also be focusing on low-fat milk throughout the article.

This text will look into the differences and similarities between milk and cheese and how they impact our health.

Processing of milk into cheese

To make cheese, milk should undergo a process. First, we should heat the milk, and we should add acids. This will cause the proteins to solidify and transform the milk into curds.

The curds are mostly composed of casein, which are proteins present in milk. These curds are collected, salted, dried, forming cheese. The processing may take long durations; thus, aged cheese is classified in that category.

History

Processing and consumption of cheese and milk date back to 7000-6000 years ago. All cultures around the world consume cheese and milk.

Culinary world

Cheese is considered one of the most used elements in the culinary world and can be used for savory foods and sweet foods. Milk is considered one of the base elements that are required for cooking. It is also the main source of all dairy derivatives.

Nutrition

Cheese and milk are some of the fundamental elements in worldwide gastronomy.

They are among the foods that contain the highest amounts of calcium.

The following section will cover their differences related to nutritional data.

Calories

Cheese is higher in calories compared to milk. Cheese has 404 calories per 100g, while milk has 42 calories per 100g.

Carbs

Cheese contains 3.09g of carbs; on the other hand, milk contains 4.99g of carbs. The amounts of carbs are low in both of them, as they make up to 2% of the daily required values.

Lactose

Milk contains higher amounts of lactose compared to cheddar cheese. Milk is composed of 4.99g of lactose which is most of its carbohydrate content.

Proteins

Cheese is obtained after processing (curdling) milk and solidifying its protein, which means that cheese has a high protein content compared to milk. Cheese contains 23g of protein, while milk contains 3g. The protein amount is approximately 7.6x higher in cheese compared to milk.

Fats

Cheese also has higher amounts of fat compared to milk.

Cheese contains 33g of fats which makes up 51% of the daily recommended value, subdivided into 19g of saturated fats constituting 95% of the daily recommended value.

The amount of fat in milk is negligible, as it has 1g of fat per 100g.

For cholesterol, cheese contains 99mg of cholesterol which makes 33% of the daily recommended value. In comparison, milk contains 5mg of cholesterol, which is considered negligible.

Glycemic index

Both cheese and milk are categorized as low glycemic index foods, although there are differences between them. The glycemic index of cheese is 27, while the glycemic index of milk is 38.

Vitamins

Cheese is richer in Vitamins B2, B12, and A compared to milk. Cheese is also considered a good source of vitamins A and B2.

Milk is richer in vitamin D compared to cheese. However, this amount is not very high compared to other foods.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food

Milk

2

:

9

Cheese

Contains more Vitamin D +100%

Contains more Vitamin B3 +57.6%

Contains more Vitamin A +533.7%

Contains more Vitamin E +7000%

Contains more Vitamin B1 +45%

Contains more Vitamin B2 +131.4%

Contains more Vitamin B5 +13.6%

Contains more Vitamin B6 +78.4%

Contains more Folate +440%

Contains more Vitamin B12 +134%

Contains more Vitamin K +2300%

Milk

Cheese

Contains more Vitamin D +100%

Contains more Vitamin B3 +57.6%

Contains more Vitamin A +533.7%

Contains more Vitamin E +7000%

Contains more Vitamin B1 +45%

Contains more Vitamin B2 +131.4%

Contains more Vitamin B5 +13.6%

Contains more Vitamin B6 +78.4%

Contains more Folate +440%

Contains more Vitamin B12 +134%

Contains more Vitamin K +2300%

Minerals

Like the vitamin content, cheese is richer in calcium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, selenium, and magnesium.

We should monitor cheese consumption for patients with hypertension and kidney impairment due to its high sodium content.

Calcium

Cheese is considered in the top 5% of foods rich in calcium and satisfy 71% of the required daily value. However, milk has less calcium than cheese since it only satisfies 12% of the required daily value.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food

Milk

2

:

6

Cheese

Contains more Potassium +97.4%

Contains less Sodium -93.3%

Contains more Calcium +468%

Contains more Iron +366.7%

Contains more Magnesium +145.5%

Contains more Phosphorus +378.9%

Contains more Zinc +766.7%

Contains more Copper +200%

Milk

Cheese

Contains more Potassium +97.4%

Contains less Sodium -93.3%

Contains more Calcium +468%

Contains more Iron +366.7%

Contains more Magnesium +145.5%

Contains more Phosphorus +378.9%

Contains more Zinc +766.7%

Contains more Copper +200%

Weight loss and diets

Vegan

Cheese and milk are excluded from vegan diets because they are dairy products.

Keto

In the keto diet, we can consume milk in minimal amounts. Whole milk is recommended to be used due to its higher fat content. However, 1 cup of whole milk contains 50% of the carbohydrate amount allowed to be consumed while on a keto diet.

On the other hand, cheese is a keto-friendly food that we can consume due to its low carb, high fat composition.

Lactose intolerance

People who are lactose intolerant cannot digest lactose which is present in both cheese and milk. Although with scientific advancements, this obstacle is somehow resolved by giving pills that contain lactase enzymes that digest lactose. However, this doesn't help all lactose intolerant individuals. (1)

Weight loss

For weight loss, consuming milk is the perfect choice as it is low in calories. However, one should not cut out cheese consumption completely even if on a weight loss diet because of all the essential nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, specifically calcium. Consumption in low to moderate amounts is key so that malnourishment doesn't take place.

Digestion

Most dairy foods are hard to digest, mostly due to lactose. As previously mentioned, milk contains more lactose than cheese, which makes it harder to digest. This creates bloating and indigestion. However, consuming milk constantly over a period of time leads to the decrease of these symptoms. This is due to the digestive system getting adapted to the content of lactose sugars consumed. Thus it provides adequate amounts of lactases leading to better digestion and less bloating.

It is important to note that this is a phenomenon in individuals that are not diagnosed with lactose intolerance but have infrequent consumption of dairy products.

Health impacts

Health benefits

Cardiovascular health

Moderate consumption of dairy, including cheese and milk, has been shown to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases. (2)

Consumption of dairy products, in moderation, which is rich in calcium and phosphorus, in this case, cheese, has beneficial effects on decreasing hypertension in patients with high blood pressure. (3)

Consumption of low-fat milk has shown that it doesn't increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. (4)

Diabetes

Studies have shown that moderate consumption of dairy, including cheese and low-fat milk, decreases the risks of developing type 2 diabetes. (5)

Both cheese and milk have low glycemic indices meaning that they do not increase risks of developing type 2 diabetes. (6)

Cancer

Consumption of dairy has shown decreased risks in developing colorectal and bladder cancers. (7)

Downsides & Risks

Cardiovascular health

Consumption in moderate amounts has shown that milk and cheese consumption can have neutral or positive effects on cardiovascular health.

Although, overconsumption of cheese that contains higher amounts of fats and sodium might negatively affect cardiovascular health and hypertension.

Cancer

Consumption of milk increases the risk of developing prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and breast cancer.

In addition to that, cheese is associated with an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers. (8)

Neurologic

Frequent consumptions of dairy, including cheese and milk, have a slight positive correlation in increasing the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Intolerance and allergies

As stated above, lactose intolerant individuals cannot consume milk and cheese. Lactase pills are available to help them digest. However, this doesn't help all cases.

References

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27706451/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26786887/
3. Relations between dairy product intake and blood pressure
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31089735/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23945722/
6. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/76/1/274S/4689498
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22081693/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352799/