Tuesday 16 September 2014

HEALTH & WELLNESS: Dairy May Lower Blood Pressure, CVD Risk

Formulating Foods explores the latest health and nutrition news and research—as well as the latest ingredient and food application innovations—to determine what consumers want (and need) from the food and beverage products they consume, and how industry can make it happen

Dairy May Lower Blood Pressure, CVD Risk
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New research suggests that milk consumption and dairy may play a beneficial role in heart health by lowering blood pressure in those who suffer from hypertension.

Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims 17 million lives each year, while complications from high blood pressure take an additional 9.4 million.

Dairy products offer a wide array of health benefits, based on the application. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, and also provides calcium, magnesium and other key nutrients, while yogurts often provide probiotics—which can improve cholesterol and provide additional health benefits. See the FoodTech Toolbox Gallery: Probiotics in Foods and Beverages for a closer look.

The new research—which studied the association between milk and risk for hypertension and CVD—was presented by Sabita S. Soedamah-Muthu, Ph.D., from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, during the the 12th Euro Fed Lipid Congress in Montpellier, France, on Sept. 15.

Soedamah-Muthu explained that, based on nine studies with 57,256 individuals and 15,367 cases of hypertension, the analysis revealed that as total dairy, low-fat dairy and milk (just over two cups a day) consumption increased, the risk for high blood pressure decreased. Milk intake was not statistically significantly associated with risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and total mortality.

"These meta-analyses indicate that there is a link between increasing the number of glasses of milk a day and a lower incidence of hypertension," Soedamah-Muthu said.

The findings are further supported by research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2014, which showed that the addition of four servings of nonfat dairy per day to a routine diet lowered blood pressure in middle-aged and older adults.
"The results of this diverse session lay the groundwork for future investigations into the overall impact dairy may have on public health," said Cindy Schweitzer, Ph.D., C.F.S., technical director, Global Dairy Platform. "It appears that dairy's nutrient-rich package may have a positive impact on health, development and performance in more ways than previously expected."

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