RELATED: Never Put This One Food Item on the Top Shelf of Your Fridge, CDC Says. Older adults, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as those over 65, have a higher risk of food poisoning. The health authority explains that this is because “as people age, their immune systems and organs don’t recognize and get rid of harmful germs as well as they once did.” This leaves seniors vulnerable to serious foodborne illnesses, including infections caused by Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. To make matters worse, the CDC says that roughly half of seniors with confirmed foodborne illnesses are hospitalized. For this reason, those over 65 should practice enhanced food safety precautions to offset their heightened risk.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: If You’re Over 65, Never Eat These 4 Foods, CDC Warns. Once you turn 65, some of your go-to snacks may suddenly come with a side of symptoms. In particular, the Mayo Clinic warns that certain types of mold-ripened cheeses, such as brie and camembert, can disproportionately cause food poisoning in seniors and other vulnerable groups. While the molds used in these cheeses may be safe for most healthy adults to consume, the Mayo Clinic cautions that these types of cheese “are best avoided by people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women, infants and young children.” The U.K.’s National Health Services (NHS) further explains that these types of cheese can pose a danger because they are “less acidic than hard cheeses and contain more moisture, which means they can be an ideal environment for harmful bacteria, such as listeria, to grow in.” Listeria, Salmonella, and Brucella are just a few of the most common bacterial contaminants found in soft cheeses. Though, in general, you should proceed with caution where mold-ripened cheeses are involved, the NHS shares that there’s one safe way to continue enjoying your favorite soft cheeses past 65. “Thorough cooking should kill any bacteria in cheese, so it should be safe to eat cooked mold-ripened soft cheese, such as brie, camembert and chevre, and cooked soft blue cheese, such as roquefort or gorgonzola, or dishes that contain them,” the organization explains. That said, undercooking the cheese can leave you vulnerable to infection, and may give you a false sense of safety. “It’s important to make sure the cheese is thoroughly cooked until it’s steaming hot all the way through,” their experts add. For more health news sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Unpasteurized cheeses—meaning those which have not been heat-treated to destroy harmful pathogens—can also wreak havoc on your health if you’re over the age of 65. Though most varieties of cheese on grocery store shelves are typically pasteurized, cheese aged for over 60 days may not have undergone this safety precaution, in accordance with U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) rules. For this reason, you should always check the label to ensure that your milk products have been pasteurized, or inquire with restaurant staff if you’re unsure of a meal’s ingredients while eating out. RELATED: If You’re Over 65, Don’t Eat This One Kind of Meat Right Now, CDC Warns.
