Is blue cheese an antimicrobial food?

Drew Smith, PhD
Nov 7 · 3 min read

You are no doubt familiar with penicillin — 90 years after its discovery, it is still among the most-prescribed antibiotics. And you probably know that it is a natural product, produced by a bluish mold that grows on bread and also gives blue cheeses their distinctive color and flavor.

Is blue cheese a food you might want to eat for antimicrobial benefits? Or conversely, one that might perturb a healthy gut microbiome by wiping out beneficial bacteria?

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Drew Smith, PhD

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Scientist, writer, long-distance hiker

Science For Life

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