Todd wrote:

<<This might explain Seely's finding that milk consumption is the
best predictor of heart disease rates, but it wouldn't explain
why he also found that this correlation didn't apply to cheese.
I wonder if the fermentation might alter the casein in some way.>>

  I'll throw some thoughts here in the form of questions.  Based upon the
facts below, it would seem that the stronger, more aged cheeses the ones
that may be safe to eat, depending on what protein is destroyed in the
process of aging.  If so, what cheeses exactly are these?  At what point in
aging do proteins get broken down?  Does it matter what bacteria is
introduced to the cheese?  I would assume that if the milk from Guernsey
cows is indeed safe to drink, then perhaps the cheese, no matter the length
of aging, would be safe also?  These are the things I am thinking about and
researching further.  Thoughts and findings from others on this would be
greatly appreciated.

 Most of the protein in cheese is rennet casein curd.  In neutral solutions,
the enzyme rennin converts one of the caseins to an insoluble curd.  The
basic principle involved in making all natural cheese is to coagulate or
curdle the milk so that it forms into curds (milky white lumps) and whey (a
thin liquid). As anyone knows who has left milk unrefrigerated for a period,
milk will curdle quite naturally. The milk sours and forms into an acid
curd. This is the basis of nearly all cheesemaking (whey cheeses are the
exception, being made from the whey of the milk rather than the curds).
Today's methods help the curdling process by the addition of a starter (a
bacterial culture which produces lactic acid) and rennet (a substance
obtained from the stomach linings of young calves which contains a
coagulating enzyme which speeds the separation of liquids and solids),
although there are still some cheeses left that allow the natural bacteria
in the milk or the curing room to cause curdling.

The taste of cheeses vary for many reasons, including the type of cow
involved.  Cheeses are aged from a couple of days to seven years, depending
on the type.  Cheeses that are aged longer and are more aromatic have
chemical reactions which occur on its surface - enzymes break down protein
in the cheese's paste, which results in an increasingly pungent aroma as the
cheese continues to ripeness.

Siobhan