Effects of goat cheese on Helicobacter pylori activity and gastrointestinal complaints

To investigate whether and how consumption of goats' milk cheese affects Helicobacter pylori activity in the stomach of infected subjects, a randomized, controlled and blind study was performed. Sixty volunteers consumed 4 × 25 g day⁻¹ “Gouda-type” cheese for 3 weeks, prepared from either goats' or cows' milk. The goats' milk cheese was rich in short- and medium-chain fatty acids. Immediately before the start and thereafter every seven days, H. pylori activity was measured by the ¹³C-urea breath test, and gastrointestinal well-being was recorded weekly by validated questionnaires. Neither goats' nor cows' milk cheese had any significant effect on H. pylori activity. Ingestion of both cheeses improved gastrointestinal well-being but had no effect on stool parameters. The difference of the total symptoms score was significant between day 0 and 21 in each dietary groups, but not between the goats' and cows' milk cheese.