Know2eat

Swiss cheese

What swiss cheese has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About swiss cheese

A hard cow milk cheese whose characteristic holes are carbon dioxide bubbles left by propionic acid bacteria during a warm ripening stage. Those same bacteria produce propionic acid, which gives the cheese its sweet, nutty flavour.

Also known as Emmental, Emmentaler, Holey cheese

Muscle & Physical PerformanceGut & Digestive Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Limited evidence

A dense source of complete dairy protein. As with other cheeses, the muscle evidence comes from milk and isolated dairy proteins rather than from cheese itself, and portion sizes are small.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for Swiss-type cheese and gut bacteria. Propionibacterium freudenreichii has been studied as a candidate probiotic in isolated form, but that research does not transfer to a portion of cheese, where dose and survival through digestion are both unknown.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Swiss cheese

Ask about Swiss cheese

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories393 kcal20%
Protein27 g54%
Total fat31 g40%
Carbohydrate1.44 g1%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water37.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat18.2 g91%
Monounsaturated fat8.05 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.34 g—
Cholesterol93 mg31%
ALA (omega-3)0.125 g—
EPA (omega-3)0.0090 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.018 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)1.09 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A288 µg32%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.6 mg4%
Vitamin K1.4 µg1%
Thiamin (B1)0.011 mg1%
Riboflavin (B2)0.302 mg23%
Niacin (B3)0.064 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.353 mg7%
Vitamin B60.071 mg4%
Folate10 µg3%
Vitamin B123.06 µg128%
Choline13.8 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium890 mg68%
Iron0.13 mg1%
Magnesium33 mg8%
Phosphorus574 mg46%
Potassium72 mg2%
Sodium187 mg8%
Zinc4.37 mg40%
Copper0.047 mg5%
Manganese0.026 mg1%
Selenium30 µg55%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene61 µg—
Alpha-carotene1 µg—
Lycopene1 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin8 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash2.97 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cheese, swiss (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171251).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • fermentedReduces lactose

    Ripening leaves aged Swiss-type cheese with negligible lactose.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Cow milk protein allergy

    A major regulated allergen.

  • Interaction

    Tyramine in aged wheels

    As with other long-ripened cheeses, tyramine accumulates and matters for people on non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

  • Too much

    Lower sodium than most cheese, not low sodium

    Emmental-style cheeses are among the less salty hard cheeses, which is a real difference but not a reason to treat them as a low-sodium food.