Cheese and diabetes: no sugar, but salt and fat
The short answer
Yes, a person with diabetes can eat cheese: it hardly raises blood sugar at all. Most ripened cheeses contain only traces of carbohydrate, because the lactose disappears during making and ripening. So the issue is not sugar but saturated fat, salt and calories, which matter a lot with diabetes because diabetes increases cardiovascular risk. The guideline: a 30 g portion a day, as part of the two dairy products a day recommended by the PNNS (the French national nutrition and health programme), and an eye on what goes with it: bread, raclette or wine.
This guide gives general guidelines. If you are treated with insulin or with a medicine that can cause hypoglycaemia, your carbohydrate amount per meal should be set with your doctor or dietitian.
Why cheese does not raise blood sugar
Milk contains about 5% lactose, its natural sugar. During cheesemaking, most of the lactose goes off with the whey, and what is left is consumed by the cultures during ripening. The result: according to Ciqual, camembert, comté, emmental, roquefort or reblochon contain only traces of carbohydrate, and less than 0.3 g of lactose per 100 g. With no carbohydrate, there is no blood sugar spike: cheese has no measurable glycaemic index.
Only fresh and processed cheeses keep a little lactose: 4.2 g of carbohydrate per 100 g in 0% fromage blanc (a fresh soft cheese), 8.5 g in a processed cheese portion. Even then, the amounts stay small at the scale of a portion.
What a portion of cheese contains
| 30 g of | Calories | Protein | Carbohydrate | Saturated fat | Salt | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozzarella | 68 kcal | 5.0 g | 0.2 g | 3.5 g | 0.18 g | 179 mg |
| Processed cheese portion | 71 kcal | 3.4 g | 2.6 g | 3.7 g | 0.55 g | 163 mg |
| Camembert | 84 kcal | 5.9 g | traces | 4.7 g | 0.44 g | 132 mg |
| Feta | 85 kcal | 4.5 g | 0.1 g | 5.0 g | 0.68 g | 66 mg |
| Goat’s cheese log | 86 kcal | 5.6 g | traces | 4.9 g | 0.47 g | 57 mg |
| Emmental | 112 kcal | 8.4 g | traces | 5.9 g | 0.18 g | 293 mg |
| Roquefort | 115 kcal | 5.9 g | traces | 7.5 g | 0.97 g | 198 mg |
| Parmesan | 123 kcal | 9.3 g | 0.3 g | 6.2 g | 0.47 g | 294 mg |
| Comté | 124 kcal | 8.3 g | traces | 6.5 g | 0.25 g | 272 mg |
Three takeaways:
- Carbohydrate is negligible across the board: even processed cheese, the richest, provides only 2.6 g per portion.
- Salt varies fivefold: 0.18 g per 30 g of emmental or mozzarella, 0.97 g for roquefort. The WHO advises less than 5 g of salt a day; one portion of roquefort is already nearly a fifth of that.
- Saturated fat ranges from 3.5 to 7.5 g per portion, which is 18 to 37% of the reference intake of 20 g a day.
To choose by calories, see our ranking of the lowest-calorie cheeses.
How much cheese a day with diabetes
There is no diabetes-specific guideline. The PNNS recommends two dairy products a day for adults, and a portion of cheese is 30 g. The details are in our guide on how much cheese per day. For a person with diabetes, three practical tips:
- One portion of ripened cheese a day, and the other dairy product as plain yoghurt or fromage blanc.
- Vary your cheeses, favouring the less salty ones (emmental, comté, mozzarella) and keeping the saltiest (roquefort, feta) for small amounts.
- Weigh it once: 30 g is one eighth of a 250 g camembert.
Reduced-fat cheeses: useful or not?
For a person with diabetes, reduced-fat cheese makes no difference to blood sugar, since regular cheese already has almost no carbohydrate. It can, however, help with calories and saturated fat. But it holds a surprise on the salt side.
| 30 g of | Calories | Carbohydrate | Saturated fat | Salt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camembert | 84 kcal | traces | 4.7 g | 0.44 g |
| Reduced-fat soft white-rind cheese, camembert type | 53 kcal | 0.3 g | 2.0 g | 0.43 g |
| Emmental | 112 kcal | traces | 5.9 g | 0.18 g |
| Reduced-fat cooked pressed cheese, emmental type | 77 kcal | 0.4 g | 3.1 g | 0.42 g |
- Saturated fat falls by about half: this is the real gain of reduced-fat cheeses, useful if your LDL cholesterol is high.
- Salt does not fall: it is the same for the camembert type, and more than twice as high in reduced-fat emmental as in regular emmental according to Ciqual. If you have high blood pressure, a small portion of regular emmental is still a better choice than a reduced-fat one.
Cheese and diabetes risk: what the studies say
The large cohort studies are fairly reassuring:
- In the European EPIC-InterAct study (Sluijs et al., 2012), which followed 340,000 people in eight countries including France, the biggest cheese eaters had a type 2 diabetes risk that was slightly lower than the smallest cheese eaters, by 12%, a result on the borderline of significance. All fermented dairy products together (cheese, yoghurt and fermented milks) were associated with a 12% lower risk.
- A meta-analysis of 22 cohorts and nearly 580,000 people (Gijsbers et al., 2016) found no association between cheese and diabetes, neither positive nor negative. The most favourable dairy product was yoghurt: 80 g a day was associated with a 14% lower risk.
These observational studies do not prove that cheese protects against diabetes. They do show, though, that there is no reason to cut it out, and that plain yoghurt is a very good everyday dairy product.
Another meta-analysis: 50 g of cheese a day
Another meta-analysis, earlier than Gijsbers’, pooled 17 cohort studies (Aune et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2013). Its results point the same way, with a few useful nuances:
- Each 50 g of cheese a day was associated with an 8% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, across eight studies, with no differences between them.
- Low-fat dairy products were associated with a 9% lower risk per 200 g a day; full-fat dairy products, with no change.
- For yoghurt, the 22% reduction per 200 g a day was not significant, with large differences between studies.
Taken together, these three pieces of work say the same thing: cheese is not associated with an increased risk of diabetes. None of them says you should eat more of it to protect yourself: 50 g a day is already more than the 30 g portion used in this guide, with the salt and saturated fat that come with it.
The real issue: what goes with the cheese
Cheese does not raise blood sugar, but its company does:
| Accompaniment | Portion | Carbohydrate |
|---|---|---|
| Country bread | one 40 g slice | 20 g |
| Wholemeal bread | one 40 g slice | 16 g |
| Steamed potatoes, for a raclette | 200 g | 32 g |
| Cheese on its own | 30 g | less than 1 g |
- The cheeseboard with bread: it is the bread that counts for carbohydrate. A slice of wholemeal bread, richer in fibre, is a better choice. See our guide to the glycaemic index.
- Raclette and tartiflette combine potatoes, cheese and cured meats: lots of carbohydrate, saturated fat and salt in the same meal. Keep them for occasions, with a large green salad.
- Wine: alcohol can cause hypoglycaemia in people treated with insulin or sulfonylureas, especially on an empty stomach. Drink in moderation and with food.
- Pizza and gratins: the dough, pasta and béchamel provide the carbohydrate, the cheese provides the fat.
Cheese dishes, per 100 g
In cooked dishes, cheese is never alone. Here is what Ciqual measures in the most common ready meals:
| 100 g of | Calories | Carbohydrate | Saturated fat | Salt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese pizza | 269 kcal | 30.5 g | 5.7 g | 1.2 g |
| Margherita pizza | 224 kcal | 29.6 g | 3.1 g | 1.1 g |
| Croque-monsieur | 253 kcal | 26.1 g | 5.5 g | 1.6 g |
| Quiche lorraine | 269 kcal | 21.5 g | 9.2 g | 1.0 g |
| Gratin dauphinois | 113 kcal | 14.5 g | 2.7 g | 0.8 g |
| Tartiflette | 161 kcal | 13.5 g | 4.5 g | 0.8 g |
Pizza and croque-monsieur provide more carbohydrate per 100 g than boiled potatoes, 16.8 g, because of the dough and the bread. Quiche is the dish highest in saturated fat: 9.2 g per 100 g, nearly half of the daily reference intake. These dishes should therefore be counted as a starchy food, not as a simple cheese dish.
An advantage: cheese at the end of a meal
Combining protein and fat with a carbohydrate-rich food slows the absorption of sugars. A piece of cheese with a few grapes, a pear or an apple for dessert is a classic pairing that goes in the right direction. See grapes and diabetes and pear and diabetes.
Fromage blanc and yoghurt: the dairy products to favour
| 100 g of | Calories | Protein | Carbohydrate | Saturated fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain fromage blanc 0% | 48 kcal | 7.3 g | 4.2 g | less than 0.15 g |
| Plain fromage blanc 2-3% | 76 kcal | 7.3 g | 3.9 g | 2.1 g |
| Sweetened fruit fromage blanc 0% | 80 kcal | 7.4 g | 12.8 g | 0 g |
Plain fromage blanc provides protein for few calories and almost no saturated fat. The sweetened fruit version triples the carbohydrate: it is better to add fresh fruit yourself, for example strawberries, see strawberry and diabetes.
Special cases
High blood pressure
It is common in people with diabetes. Favour the least salty cheeses (emmental, comté, mozzarella) and limit roquefort, feta and processed cheeses. See the DASH diet.
Cholesterol
The saturated fat in cheese can raise LDL cholesterol. If your cholesterol is high, stick to one portion a day and alternate with fresh semi-skimmed dairy products.
Kidney disease
Cheese provides phosphorus, protein and salt, three things that are monitored in kidney disease, a possible complication of diabetes. The amount is decided with your nephrologist.
Gestational diabetes
Cheese has no effect on blood sugar, but during pregnancy raw-milk cheeses and rinds should be avoided because of listeriosis. See eating during pregnancy.
3 ideas for eating it well
- A mixed salad with 30 g of feta or goat’s cheese, lentils and raw vegetables: see our lentil, feta and tomato salad.
- A piece of comté and an apple at the end of a meal, instead of a sugary dessert.
- Grated parmesan on roasted vegetables: 10 g is enough for plenty of flavour.
More ideas in our low glycaemic index recipes.
Our cheese recipes, in carbohydrate per serving
Cheese adds flavour to very different dishes. Their carbohydrate ranges from 5 to 45 g per serving, depending on what goes with it. Values calculated from Ciqual for each ingredient.
- Courgette and feta omelette: 5 g of carbohydrate and 19 g of protein per serving. Cheese and eggs, with no starchy food: add wholemeal bread or a piece of fruit according to your carbohydrate guideline.
- Tomato and mozzarella caprese salad: 8 g of carbohydrate and 6.5 g of fibre per serving.
- Cheese soufflé: 12 g of carbohydrate per serving, with 17 g of protein.
- Warm goat’s cheese salad: 17 g of carbohydrate per serving, but 522 kcal and 42 g of fat with the walnuts and oil: it is a full meal, not a starter.
- Light macaroni cheese: 33 g of carbohydrate per serving, mostly from the pasta.
- Spinach and feta gözleme: 45 g of carbohydrate per serving, because of the dough: share the serving, or eat it with a large salad and no other starchy food.
Frequently asked questions
Can a person with diabetes eat cheese?
Yes. Ripened cheeses contain only traces of carbohydrate and hardly raise blood sugar at all. The guideline is a 30 g portion a day, because of the saturated fat and salt.
Which cheese is best with diabetes?
All are fine for blood sugar. For your heart and blood pressure, favour the least salty (emmental, comté, mozzarella), and plain fromage blanc as the everyday dairy product.
Does cheese raise blood sugar?
No, or very little: less than 1 g of carbohydrate per 30 g of ripened cheese. It is the bread or potatoes served with it that raise blood sugar.
Is processed cheese not recommended?
It contains a little more carbohydrate, 2.6 g per 30 g portion, and more salt than emmental. It is not forbidden, but it is not the best everyday choice.
Cheese or yoghurt with diabetes?
Both have their place. In cohort studies, yoghurt is the dairy product most associated with a lower diabetes risk; cheese is not associated with any increased risk.
Can you eat raclette with diabetes?
From time to time, yes, by limiting the potatoes and cured meats and adding a large salad. 200 g of potatoes already provide 32 g of carbohydrate.
Are reduced-fat cheeses better with diabetes?
For blood sugar, it makes no difference. They contain about half the saturated fat, but not less salt: reduced-fat emmental even contains more than regular emmental according to Ciqual.
Does cheese pizza raise blood sugar?
Yes, because of the dough: 29.6 g of carbohydrate per 100 g of margherita pizza according to Ciqual, which is more than boiled potatoes. The cheese has nothing to do with it.
Does eating more cheese protect against diabetes?
No. The meta-analyses find at best a slightly favourable association, 8% lower risk per 50 g a day in one of them, and no association in another. These are observational studies, which do not justify eating more.
The foods and diabetes series
Glycaemic index, glycaemic load and the right portion, food by food: apple and diabetes, pear and diabetes, orange and diabetes, banana and diabetes, grapes and diabetes, dates and diabetes, melon and diabetes, strawberry and diabetes, pineapple and diabetes, mango and diabetes, honey and diabetes, dark chocolate and diabetes, lentils and diabetes, potato and diabetes, avocado and diabetes, oats and diabetes, bread and diabetes, kiwi and diabetes, sweet potato and diabetes, rice and diabetes.
Going further
How much cheese per day, lowest-calorie cheeses, type 2 diabetes: diet and prevention, foods high in calcium.
Our sources
- Sluijs I et al. The amount and type of dairy product intake and incident type 2 diabetes: results from the EPIC-InterAct Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.
- Gijsbers L et al. Consumption of dairy foods and diabetes incidence: a dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016.
- PNNS (Santé publique France, Manger Bouger): two dairy products a day for adults.
- WHO: less than 5 g of salt a day for adults; Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011: reference intake of 20 g of saturated fat.
- Ciqual 2025 table (Anses): ripened cheeses, fresh and processed cheeses, fromage blanc, country bread, wholemeal bread, steamed potato.
- Aune D, Norat T, Romundstad P, Vatten LJ. Dairy products and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2013. PMID 23945722.
- Ciqual 2025 table (Anses): reduced-fat cheeses (camembert and emmental types), pre-packed pizzas, croque-monsieur, quiche lorraine, gratin dauphinois and tartiflette. Site recipes: values per serving calculated from Ciqual.
