Cardiovascular health

The influence of yogurt consumption on blood pressure and hypertension

blood-pressure-yogurt

A study in the United States found that a high intake of yogurt, as part of a healthy diet pattern in adults, has a positive effect on blood pressure control and the prevention of hypertension.

As yogurt is a nutrient-rich and low-fat food, the researchers aimed to examine the longitudinal effect of yogurt consumption on blood pressure levels and hypertension incidence among 2197 adults participating in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. Dietary intake was surveyed by a food frequency questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured following standardized procedures and anti-hypertensive medication intake was evaluated by a physician-elicited self-report. Logistic regression was used to assess the occurrence of hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90mmHg).

Yogurt has a preventive effect

44% of the participants consumed ≥1 serving of yogurt each month. The average systolic blood pressure was 117 mmHg and 72 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. Yogurt consumption and blood pressure levels increased over the 14-year follow up. The high-intake group consumed more than 2% of total calories from yogurt and demonstrated a lower risk of incident hypertension than non-consumers (-33%). High yogurt consumption also showed a smaller annualized elevation of systolic blood pressure than non-consumers (-0.19 mmHg), but was not related to diastolic blood pressure changes over time.

Source: Wang H. et al., American Heart Journal, 2012

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