Cheese eaten at least weekly was linked with a lower dementia risk in a study of nearly 8,000 older adults.

Tracking 7,914 people aged 65 or over for three years, the study found a dementia rate of 3.4 per cent among weekly cheese eaters, compared with 4.5 per cent in those who avoided cheese.

That equals about 10 to 11 fewer cases per 1,000 people, suggesting a modest effect at population level.

Researchers at Niimi University in Japan analysed participants split into two groups: about half ate cheese at least once a week, while the rest did not.

The study, commissioned by Japanese food company Meiji Co., adjusted for age, sex, education and income.

Seungwon Jeong, a geriatrics researcher at Niimi University, and colleagues, said: “These findings are consistent with prior observational evidence linking dairy intake to cognitive health.

“Although the effect for each person is modest, at a population scale, especially in countries with low cheese intake, such differences could contribute meaningfully to dementia prevention strategies.”

The association held, though weaker, even after accounting for overall diet quality.

People who avoided cheese tended to have less healthy diets, but the link persisted, suggesting cheese itself might confer specific benefits.

Cheese contains nutrients that may support brain health, including vitamin K, which is involved in processes that help maintain cognitive function.

It is also rich in beneficial bacteria that support gut health, and previous research has linked the gut microbiome to brain function.

Fermented dairy products like cheese have been shown to benefit cardiovascular health, which is closely tied to dementia risk because poor heart health can limit blood flow to the brain.

The researchers noted: “Although the present study did not include biomarker or mechanistic assessments, several nutritional characteristics of cheese may provide a plausible explanation for the observed association.”

Biomarkers are measurable biological signals, and mechanistic assessments explore how an effect works.

The findings add to evidence that lifestyle factors, including exercise, diet, social engagement and cognitive activities, may influence dementia risk.

While the study shows association rather than causation, it indicates that dietary choices could play a role in brain health.

Dementia affects at least 50 million people worldwide, a number expected to rise as populations age.

The United Nations has declared it a public health priority, particularly in countries such as Japan where demographic shifts are creating an increasingly elderly population.

The researchers emphasised that the statistics are not strong enough to guarantee cheese will prevent dementia, but the indications suggest it could form part of a brain-healthy diet.

The researchers concluded: “Further research is warranted to clarify dose-response relationships, cheese subtypes, and underlying mechanisms.”

The study controlled for multiple variables but could not eliminate all confounding.

People who regularly eat cheese may have other lifestyle characteristics that protect against dementia, though the team attempted to account for known influences.

Japan has traditionally low cheese consumption compared with Western countries, making it an informative population for studying potential health impacts of dairy products.

The findings may be especially relevant where cheese intake is minimal but dementia rates are rising.

Metformin, a cheap century-old drug, cut insulin use by 12 per cent in adults with type 1 diabetes, a recent Australian study has found.

A randomised trial in 40 adults with long-term type 1 diabetes found insulin doses were 12 per cent lower with metformin over six months, with no change in blood sugar control.

The team had expected metformin to improve insulin resistance, as in type 2 diabetes, but instead saw lower insulin needs without changes in insulin resistance.

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, who describe this as the first randomised controlled trial of its kind, ran the six-month study.

Dr Jennifer Snaith, study co-leader at Garvan, said: “Insulin resistance is a growing problem in type 1 diabetes.

“Not only does it make regulating blood sugar levels difficult, but it is an underappreciated risk factor for heart disease, which is one of the biggest causes of health complications and deaths in those with type 1 diabetes.”

The researchers randomised 40 adults with long-term type 1 diabetes to take either metformin or a placebo for six months.

They examined whether their insulin resistance changed over that time through a sophisticated and comprehensive research technique, called a clamp study, that allowed the team to map insulin resistance in different parts of the body.

A clamp study is a precise test that measures how well the body responds to insulin by controlling blood sugar and insulin levels while monitoring glucose uptake in different tissues.

Dr Snaith said: “Although we didn’t find changes to insulin resistance from the use of metformin, we did show that people taking it used around 12 per cent less insulin than those on placebo.

“This is an important result.

“Insulin is a relatively old treatment which, while lifesaving, comes with significant mental and physical burden.

“This means that lowering the amount of insulin used is a priority for many people living with type 1 diabetes. We have shown that a very cheap, accessible medication may serve this purpose and this is very exciting.”

The team is now investigating how metformin reduces insulin needs in type 1 diabetes.

If confirmed, this could mean fewer injections, lower costs and a lower risk of hypoglycaemia, and may also help limit weight gain linked to high insulin doses.