Eating Yogurt Lowers Blood Pressure Risk

WASHINGTONIndividuals who consume at least one 6-ounce servings of lowfat yogurt every three days have a 31% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure, according to new research presented at the American Heart Associations High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.

Researchers at Tufts University found individuals who added more yogurt to their diet without increasing the number of calories were less likely to develop high blood pressure and on average had lower systolic blood pressure than those who didnt eat yogurt.

During the 15 year study, researchers followed more than 2,000 volunteers who did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study. Yogurt consumption was measured by questionnaires filled out by the volunteers at three intervals over the study period. Study participants were 31% less likely to develop high blood pressure if at least 2% of their daily calories came from yogurt, which would be like eating at least one 6-ounce cup of low-fat yogurt every three days. In addition, their systolic blood pressure increased less than that of people who didnt eat yogurt.

Consumption of lowfat dairy may help decrease the risk for elevated blood pressure and, regardless of fat content, fluid dairy foods (including lowfat and full-fat milk and yogurt) are associated with a reduced risk of elevated blood pressure. Find out more in the Nutrition and Hypertension article available in Food Product Designs Content Library.