In general, cheeses are a good source of calcium, protein, and phosphorus.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has condemned cheese as America's number one source of saturated fat, adding that the average American ate 30 pounds of cheese in the year 2000, up from 11 pounds in 1970.
Their recommendation was to limit full-fat cheese consumption to two ounces (60 grams) a week. Whether cheese's highly saturated fat actually leads to an increased risk of heart disease is called into question when considering France and Greece, which lead the world in cheese-eating (more than 14 ounces a week per person) yet have relatively low rates of heart disease.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns of the health risks of soft, raw-milk cheeses, claiming that they can cause "serious infectious diseases including listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis and tuberculosis." It is U.S. law since 1944 that all raw-milk cheeses (including imports, since 1951) must be aged at least 60 days. Other sources say these worries are overblown and confusing, pointing out that pasteurization of the milk used to make cheese doesn't ensure its safety in any case. This seems to be confirmed by statistics showing that in Europe (where young raw-milk cheeses are still legal in some countries), most cheese-related food poisoning incidents were traced to pasteurized cheeses.
Some studies claim to show that cheeses including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss and American can help to prevent tooth decay. Several mechanisms for this protection have been proposed:
The calcium, protein, and phosphorus in cheese may act to protect tooth enamel.
Cheese increases saliva flow, washing away acids and sugars
Cheese may have an antibacterial effect in the mouth
Cheese is often avoided by those who are lactose intolerant, but ripened cheeses like Cheddar contain only about 5% of the lactose found in whole milk, and aged cheeses contain almost none.
