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."
SourceAlonso 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.
