Pecorino cheese and blood markers in ten people over ten weeks
What it found
Eating pecorino cheese lowered inflammation markers and reduced blood cell clumping in ten healthy people.
It did not change cholesterol or fat levels in the blood.
What they found
Studies in people
Inflammation markers dropped
During the pecorino period, three inflammation signals fell by about 43.2%, 36.5% and 40.1%. No such drops happened during the cow cheese period.
Red blood cells flowed better
The rate at which red blood cells passed through tiny filters rose from 7.61% to 9.12% after eating pecorino. This measure did not change during the cow cheese period.
Less platelet clumping
Blood platelets clumped together less when triggered by a specific fat, dropping from 87.8% to 77.7% after pecorino. No change was seen during the cow cheese period.
No change in blood fats
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides stayed about the same during both cheese periods.
Other findings
Different fat makeup
Lab tests showed the pecorino had more protein and fat overall than the cow cheese. It also contained higher amounts of the specific fat called cis-9, trans-11 CLA.
What the authors conclude
- They say that short-term eating of pecorino cheese rich in cis-9, trans-11 CLA led to favourable changes in several markers linked to artery disease.
- They note the small group size means larger studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
- They suggest these early results could matter for everyday nutrition if confirmed by further research.
How it was done
Earlier work suggested a specific fat found naturally in sheep milk might improve blood fats in healthy people. The authors wanted to see if eating cheese rich in this fat changed markers linked to clogged arteries.
Ten healthy adults, six women and four men with a median age of 51.5, ate 200 g per week of pecorino cheese for 10 weeks. They then spent 10 weeks eating no cheese, followed by 10 weeks eating the same amount of a regular cow cheese. Blood tests were taken before and after each cheese period.
What it can’t tell you
- Only ten people took part, so the results might not apply to everyone.
- The study lasted just 10 weeks per cheese, so it cannot show what happens over years of eating pecorino.
- Three participants smoked, which may have influenced the inflammation readings.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Florence, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Effects of a dairy product (pecorino cheese) naturally rich in cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid on lipid, inflammatory and haemorheological variables: a dietary intervention study
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Sofi F, Buccioni A, Cesari F, et al (2010). Effects of a dairy product (pecorino cheese) naturally rich in cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid on lipid, inflammatory and haemorheological variables: a dietary intervention study. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2009.03.004Free full textPubMed 19473822DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error