xkcd
Campaigns
TS-Si supports open and immediate access to publicly funded research.
Petition: remove women of transsexual / intersex history from the GLAAD Media Reference Guide. [ sign ]
Read: Andrea Rosenfield's call for reform.
Opening Doors to Transsexual Medical Research
TS-Si
is dedicated to the acceptance, medical
treatment, and legal
protection of individuals correcting the misalignment
of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition
into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.
is dedicated to the acceptance, medical
treatment, and legal
protection of individuals correcting the misalignment
of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition
into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.
| Nepal Yak Milk Produces Heart-healthy Cheese |
 |
 |
| Living - Health & Fitness | |||
| TS-Si News Service | |||
| Friday, 21 March 2008 18:00 | |||
 Guelph, Ontario, CAN and Katmandu, Nepal. Healthy hearts are suspicious of typoical cheese. However, studies have shown that certain types of dairy-derived fatty acids, particularly conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), may help fight heart disease, cancer and even diabetes. Previous evidence has linked an increased omega-3 to omega-6 intake ratio to improved health. Researchers in Nepal and Canada now report that yak cheese contains higher levels of heart-healthy fats than cheese from dairy cattle; it may be healthier overall. The higher ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids found in yak's cheese would mean it could be "classified as a healthy food in human diets" by several counries.
Producers make cheese from the milk of yaks, the long-haired humped animals native to Tibet and the Himalayan region of south central Asia. They are fixtures in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, Mongolia, and a few other countries.
Little has been known about the fatty acid composition of yak cheese. "Our results suggest that cheese from yak, grazed on Himalayan alpine pastures, might have a more healthful fatty acid composition compared to cheese manufactured from dairy cattle fed grain-based diets," wrote lead author Mamun Or-Rashid.
 In the new study, Brian W. McBride and colleagues compared the fatty acid composition of yak cheese from Nepal with that of cheddar cheese obtained from Canada. The yak cheese from Nepal was found to contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Nepalese yak cheese had four times the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than Canadian cheddar cheese made from cow's milk (0.87 versus 0.2, respectively).
CLA are found predominantly in dairy products such as milk, cheese and meat, and are formed by bacteria in ruminants that take linoleic acids — fatty acids from plants — and convert them into CLA. Specific data on the comparative health benefits of the acids has increased in recent years, with studies indicating potential benefits for weight management, bone health and possibly even cancer.
"Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n3, [EPA]) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6n3, [DHA]) were also present in a higher percentage of total FA in yak's cheese than in dairy cattle cheese, and both come from alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in animal tissues."
Moreover, the content of CLA (cis-9, trans-11 CLA) and in the cheese from yak's milk was 4.2 times higher than that observed in the dairy cow cheddar.
"On the basis of animal trial data extrapolation, 100 g of yak cheese in the human diet might be enough to supply the necessary amounts of cis-9, trans-11 CLA and trans-11 C18:1 to promote health," wrote the researchers.
Yak cheese is commercially available, but has so far remained a delicacy, commanding high prices in select gourmet food stores.
NotePhotos courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
CitationFatty Acid Composition of yak (Bos grunniens) Cheese Including Conjugated Linoleic Acid and trans-18:1 Fatty Acids. Mamun M. Or-Rashid, Nicholas E. Odongo, Bhishma Subedi, Pralhad Karki, and Brian W. McBride. J. Agric. Food Chem., 56 (5), 1654–1660, 2008. 10.1021/jf0725225.
Download PDF Abstract The esterified fatty acid composition of cheese (YC) from yak (Bos grunniens), reared in the highlands of the Nepalese Himalayas, was studied using capillary gas–liquid chromatography and compared with that of dairy cow Cheddar cheese (DC) purchased in a local market. The YC was collected from Dolakha, Nepal. The YC had a lower (P < 0.001) myristic acid (C14:0; 6.7 vs 10.3%, YC vs DC, respectively) and palmitic acid content (C16:0; 23.3 vs 29.2%, YC vs DC, respectively) compared to DC. The YC had a lower (P < 0.01) total medium-chain saturated fatty acids (C10:0−C16:0) content compared to DC (36.7 vs 47.3%, YC vs DC, respectively). On the other hand, the YC had a 24.8% higher (P < 0.01) level of total long-chain saturated fatty acids (C17:0−C26:0) and a 3.2 times higher (P < 0.001) content of total n-3 PUFA than DC. The ratio of n-3 PUFA to n-6 PUFA in YC was 0.87 compared to 0.20 in DC. YC had a 2.8 times higher (P < 0.001) total trans-18:1 (9.18 vs 3.31%, YC vs DC, respectively) content. The percentage of vaccenic acid (trans-11-C18:1) in YC was 4.6 times higher (6.23 vs 1.35% of total fatty acids, YC vs DC, respectively) than in DC. Vaccenic acid constituted 67.9% of total trans-C18:1 in YC. The Δ9-desaturase index for YC was lower than that of DC. The total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in YC was 2.3% of total fatty acids compared to 0.57% in DC. The cis-9, trans-11 CLA isomer in YC constituted 88.5% of the total CLA. The results suggest that cheese from yak, grazed on Himalayan alpine pastures, may have a more healthful fatty acid composition compared to cheese manufactured from dairy cattle fed grain-based diets.  The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. Sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates. We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission.TS-Si is dedicated to the acceptance, medical treatment, and legal protection of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.
Email this
Comments (0)
 Write comment
|
|||
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 February 2009 09:46 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
The TS-Si News Service
and the TS-Si Research Service are collaborations of TS-Si officials, staff, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The contents do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si or its owners, participants, partners, or affiliates.