Supplementing your daily healthy diet with yogurt, preferably low-calorie, can help lower the risk of high blood pressure, suggest US studies.
They were presented at the American Heart Association’s hypertension research sessions, September 19-22 in Washington.
Researchers at Tufts University in Boston followed the health of over 15 adults for 2 years, none of whom had high blood pressure at first. Several times at intervals, they filled in questionnaires about the consumption of various foods, including yoghurt.
It turned out that respondents with at least 2 percent. the daily calories came from yogurt were about 31 percent. less likely to develop high blood pressure than people who have not eaten it at all. According to the researchers, this corresponds to a third of a 170-gram serving of yogurt per day.
This relationship remained unchanged even when the analysis included other factors influencing blood pressure, such as body weight, use of antihypertensive medications, and lifestyle elements, including diet.
Yoghurt enthusiasts also reported lower systolic blood pressure (higher blood pressures) than those who did not eat yoghurt. This was especially true in people who were not taking antihypertensive medications.
According to Dr. Robert O. Bonow from Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern University in Chicago (USA), who did not participate in the research, any, even a small effect is important in blood pressure control, especially since it tends to increase with age. Meanwhile, hypertension is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke, which are the leading causes of mortality in the world.
However, the authors of the latest study point out that it does not yet prove that regular yogurt eating causes a drop in blood pressure. Other factors may be responsible for the lower risk of high blood pressure in yogurt lovers.
Some nutritionists, however, emphasize that this latest finding supports the results of previous research into the health benefits of eating yogurt and low-fat dairy products.
“Previous work has shown that including low-fat dairy products in a healthy diet can help normalize blood pressure,” reminds nutritionist Lona Sandon of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who was not involved in the latest study.
Scientists point out that yoghurts are rich in protein and other nutrients, including calcium, potassium and magnesium, which affect blood pressure, but are consumed in insufficient amounts by Westerners.
“The key ingredient here may be the calcium found in yoghurts and other dairy products,” says Sandon. Previous large-scale studies have shown that people who eat more calcium-rich foods have lower blood pressure. However, taking supplements with this mineral did not have such an effect.
The latest study was conducted as part of the famous multi-year study on heart disease risk factors – the Framingham Heart Study. It is financed by the National Institutes of Health (namely the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute). Part of the funding for this study came from a grant from the yogurt manufacturer Dannon. (PAP)
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