In the midst of the barrage of fast-food commercials, a message of good
nutrition can be found if you look hard enough and listen closely. It's common
knowledge that a healthy diet and exercise are beneficial for overall health
and wellness. Research also shows that a diet rich in certain types of foods can
help patients manage specific health conditions.
The relationship between diet and hypertension is well-known. Previous
research has linked the consumption of low-fat dairy foods to reduced hypertension in
children and adolescents; however, few studies have examined the relationship
between the consumption of dairy products and hypertension in adults, and even fewer
studies evaluated that relationship in adults whose diets contain high amounts of fat.
This cohort study set out to determine the association between low-fat
dairy product consumption and hypertension in more than 5,800 middle-aged adults. In
the study, conducted over a 27-month period, subjects completed a series of food frequency
questionnaires, tracking their daily intake of dairy products and other foods. Participants
also reported whether they received a medical diagnosis of hypertension
between baseline and administration of the follow-up questionnaire at the end of the
study period.
"According to the study authors, their findings "provided evidence to support a possible role of low-fat dairy products in the primary prevention
of hypertension, even in a population with a high total fat intake."
An analysis of the results showed that subjects with the highest intake of low-fat dairy products such as skim milk were 54 percent
less likely to develop hypertension over the course of the study period, compared
to participants who consumed the least amount of low-fat dairy products. This
protective effect remained even after researchers adjusted for a variety of
other factors associated with high blood pressure, including overall diet,
exercise levels, body weight and whether or not the subject smoked.
Researchers concluded that the results of this study
"add new information about the role of dairy products, especially those with a low-fat content, in the
prevention of hypertension," adding that their findings "provided evidence to
support a possible role of low-fat dairy products in the primary prevention of
hypertension, even in a population with a high total fat intake."
Source
Alonso A, Beunza JJ, Delgado-Rodriguez M, et al. Low-fat dairy consumption and
reduced risk of hypertension: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition November 2005;82:872-879.