Health Bite

We know cheese is an excellent source of calcium, and blue cheeses such as Stilton provide bacteria which can really benefit gut health, but new research now shows cheese could hold the secret to better hearing, too.

Scientists believe a chemical commonly found in cheese, called D-methionine, can help protect against and even reverse damage to nerve cells in the ear caused by over exposure to loud noises. One theory is that noise triggers the release of damaging chemicals called free radicals, which can be neutralised by D-methionine.

Doctors are currently performing clinical trials with soldiers on weapons training, to see if the compound has the same beneficial effect on humans as it has on animals.