Cheese is not usually considered a health food, but a new study indicates that a little bit of it is good for you, Time reported.

Researchers from China and the Netherlands discovered that people who ate small amounts of cheese daily were less likely to have strokes or develop heart disease than people who rarely ate the dairy product, the European Journal of Nutrition reported.

Researchers said those benefited the most were eating an ounce-and-a-half of cheese a day, about the size of a matchbook, Time reported.

The researchers’ findings were “certainly different from what people might expect,” said Dr. Allan Stewart, director of aortic surgery at Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Researchers found that overall, people who consumed high levels of cheese had a 14 percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and were 10 percent less likely to have a stroke than those who rarely or never ate cheese, Time reported.

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Thousands of UGA students enjoy during the annual “Frat Beach” party for the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game on St. Simons Island, Friday, November 1, 2024. On the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game, St. Simons Island’s East Beach becomes “Frat Beach,” an open-air party teeming with thousands of highly inebriated college students. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC