Eating large portions of cheese on a regular basis could increase the risk of bladder cancer, according to new research.
Scientists found the risk increased by more than 50 per cent in those who ate more than 53g, or around 1.8oz a day - roughly the same weight as a small chocolate bar.
But eating less than that did not appear to increase the dangers.
A daily portion of olive oil, on the other hand, can more than halve the risk of getting the disease.
The results, published in the European Journal of Cancer, come from a study looking at how dietary fats influence a person's chances of getting bladder cancer.
Around 10,000 people a year in the UK fall victim to the disease and smokers are four times more likely to get it than non-smokers.
Other risk factors include exposure to harmful chemicals in the workplace and repeated bouts of bladder infections.
But studies have produced conflicting evidence on whether different types of fats prevent cancer or increase the chances of it occurring.
In the latest investigation, a team of Dutch and Belgian researchers set out to discover if saturated fats, such as those found in meat and dairy products, made cancer more likely while healthier fats, such as olive oil, offered some protection.
They studied the eating habits of 200 bladder cancer victims and compared them with 386 volunteers who had not developed tumours.
The results showed eating cheese had little effect unless the amount exceeded 53 grammes a day. After that the risk went up by more than half.
But researchers stressed the numbers of people in the study may be too small to conclude that cheese is a major health threat and called for further investigations to verify their findings.
Although milk also appeared to raise cancer risk, researchers said the results were not statistically significant.
Other foods, such as fish, chicken, eggs and margarine appeared to have little effect.
UK cheese consumption has risen by almost 13 per cent in the last decade.
In 1997, most people were eating around 103g a week. But by 2009, that had risen to 116g.
It's thought diets high in started fat may explain why Western populations have the highest rates of bladder cancer in the world.
The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and plant foods, may slash the odds of developing the disease but high smoking rates in countries in that region mean similar numbers are affected as in northern Europe.
In a report on their findings, the researchers said: 'We found a potentially protective effect from a high intake of olive oil and a suggestive increased risk from high cheese consumption.
'But these results need to be confirmed by other studies.'
Source:Dailymail
