Eating yogurt can decrease cardiovascular risk among hypertensive adults
A new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension suggests that adults living with hypertension can benefit from higher yogurt intake as it decreases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor. It affects about one billion people worldwide but may also be a major cause of cardiovascular health problems. Higher dairy consumption has been linked to beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease-related comorbidities such as hypertension, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
The research split participants into two groups: over 55, 000 female participants (between ages 30 to 55) with high blood pressure participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and 18,000 men (ages 40–75) participated in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
In the Nurses’ Health Study, participants were asked to complete a mailed 61-item questionnaire in 1980 to report usual dietary intake in the preceding year. Participants subsequently reported any interim physician-diagnosed events including myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization.
The Nurses’ Health Study women reported a 30 % reduction in risk of myocardial infarction, while the Professionals Follow-Up Study men reported a decrease of 19%.
There were 3,300 and 2,148 total cardiovascular disease cases (myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization) in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, respectively. Higher yogurt intake in women was associated with a 16 % lower risk of undergoing revascularization.
Higher yogurt intake in combination with an overall heart-healthy diet was associated with greater reductions in cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women.
The study said: “We hypothesized that long-term yogurt intake might reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems since some previous small studies had shown beneficial effects of fermented dairy products,” said one of the paper’s authors, Justin Buendia. “Here, we had a very large cohort of hypertensive men and women, who were followed for up to 30 years. Our results provide important new evidence that yogurt may benefit heart health alone or as a consistent part of a diet rich in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”
