The researchers found that women who consumed five or
more servings of yogurt a week, have a lower risk of high
blood pressure, compared with those who rarely consume yogurt. Recent
research has even been presented at the annual meeting of
the American Heart Association.
"We followed more than 170 thousand
participants for 30 years and these studies support the importance
of healthy diet and intake of milk, yogurt, mainly on blood
pressure," said the lead author of the study, Dr. Justin Buendia,
as reported by the page Today, yesterday.
Buendia and his colleagues from B.U. and Harvard
University examined the medical records of people who
participated in the Nurses’ Health study and the Health Professionals follow-up Study. During
the 18 years of follow-up, high blood pressure diagnosed at 74,609 participants
of the study.
After taking into account a number of other
factors including age, race, family history of high blood
pressure, physical activity, consumption of caloric intake, protein, fruits
and vegetables, milk and cheese. The researchers found that
women who consumed five or more servings of yogurt a
week, had a 20 percent reduction in the risk of being
diagnosed with hypertension.
Consumption of dairy products such as milk
and cheese also has a protective effect, but no bigger when consuming a yogurt.
There are several reasons for it, the first impact
of the components might be yogurt, namely tripeptides casein-derived. These substances have
been proven in a study of animals and humans were able to lower
blood pressure through one system that regulates blood pressure, renin-angiotensin system IE.
Second, compared to milk and cheese, yogurt
contains more calcium and potassium, a mineral that has been
associated with low blood pressure.
The combination of higher consumption of yogurt along
with the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
caused a decline of 31 percent in the risk of hypertension.
"Probiotics in yogurt is a more potent way to lower
blood pressure compared with other dairy products," said the Assistant
Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Kathryn
Berlacher.