Aa
Yogurt Linked to Lower Blood Pressure
Yogurt Linked to Lower Blood Pressure
People who ate at least the equivalent of one serving every three days were 31 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate no yogurt at all, Huifen Wang, PhD, of Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues found.
An even stronger effect was seen among individuals who were not taking antihypertensive drugs, according to their analysis of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort reported at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research meeting in Washington, D.C.
"Yogurt is a nutrient-dense, low-fat dairy product," the group noted. "Higher yogurt intake, as part of a healthy diet pattern, may be beneficial for blood pressure control and hypertension prevention."
That finding reinforces the known role of low-fat dairy products in reducing blood pressure, Rachel Johnson, PhD, RD, chair of the AHA nutrition committee, commented in an interview with MedPage Today.
The association supports the DASH diet recommendation of two to three servings of low-fat dairy per day.
"I would encourage my patients to choose fat-free or low-fat yogurt and to watch the amount of added sugars that are in the yogurt to keep the calories down," Johnson said. "
Wang's group studied 2,197 adults in the offspring cohort of the Framingham Heart Study who did not have high blood pressure at baseline. Participants answered dietary questions and were followed for blood pressure along with other measures in the longitudinal study.
On the baseline food-frequency questionnaire, 44 percent of the participants reported that they ate yogurt at least once a month.
During the 14 years of follow-up, blood pressures rose and 913 of the participants developed hypertension.
Yogurt intake rose too, and those with high intake — more than 2 percent of their daily calories from yogurt — were less likely to develop hypertension.
The odds ratio of incident hypertension was 0.69 compared with individuals who didn't eat yogurt, with a significant 95 percent confidence interval of 0.54 to 0.87 after adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors and cholesterol-lowering medication use.
Systolic blood pressure rose less in the high-consumption group as well — by 0.19 mmHg less than among nonconsumers. Diastolic pressures didn't correlate with yogurt consumption.
"On a population-wide basis a small lowering can have a large impact, although on an individual basis that may seem small," said Johnson, a professor of nutrition and medicine at the of the University of Vermont in Burlington.
That link with systolic change actually strengthened when excluding individuals on antihypertensive medication at follow-up.
Adjustment for BMI and change in BMI didn't eliminate the significance of any of the findings.
Although the study adjusted for many of the potentially confounding factors, this type of correlational study can never entirely eliminate the possibility of additional unmeasured confounding if people who consume more yogurt have a more heart-healthy lifestyle, Johnson noted.
Also, the high-consuming group wasn't averaging more than half to a third of a serving of yogurt per day.
"What we want to look for is if there is a stepwise lowering of blood pressure with higher intake," she pointed out, although "this could be just part of total dairy intake."
Source: MEDPAGE TODAY
People who ate at least the equivalent of one serving every three days were 31 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate no yogurt at all, Huifen Wang, PhD, of Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues found.
An even stronger effect was seen among individuals who were not taking antihypertensive drugs, according to their analysis of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort reported at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research meeting in Washington, D.C.
"Yogurt is a nutrient-dense, low-fat dairy product," the group noted. "Higher yogurt intake, as part of a healthy diet pattern, may be beneficial for blood pressure control and hypertension prevention."
That finding reinforces the known role of low-fat dairy products in reducing blood pressure, Rachel Johnson, PhD, RD, chair of the AHA nutrition committee, commented in an interview with MedPage Today.
The association supports the DASH diet recommendation of two to three servings of low-fat dairy per day.
"I would encourage my patients to choose fat-free or low-fat yogurt and to watch the amount of added sugars that are in the yogurt to keep the calories down," Johnson said. "
Wang's group studied 2,197 adults in the offspring cohort of the Framingham Heart Study who did not have high blood pressure at baseline. Participants answered dietary questions and were followed for blood pressure along with other measures in the longitudinal study.
On the baseline food-frequency questionnaire, 44 percent of the participants reported that they ate yogurt at least once a month.
During the 14 years of follow-up, blood pressures rose and 913 of the participants developed hypertension.
Yogurt intake rose too, and those with high intake — more than 2 percent of their daily calories from yogurt — were less likely to develop hypertension.
The odds ratio of incident hypertension was 0.69 compared with individuals who didn't eat yogurt, with a significant 95 percent confidence interval of 0.54 to 0.87 after adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors and cholesterol-lowering medication use.
Systolic blood pressure rose less in the high-consumption group as well — by 0.19 mmHg less than among nonconsumers. Diastolic pressures didn't correlate with yogurt consumption.
"On a population-wide basis a small lowering can have a large impact, although on an individual basis that may seem small," said Johnson, a professor of nutrition and medicine at the of the University of Vermont in Burlington.
That link with systolic change actually strengthened when excluding individuals on antihypertensive medication at follow-up.
Adjustment for BMI and change in BMI didn't eliminate the significance of any of the findings.
Although the study adjusted for many of the potentially confounding factors, this type of correlational study can never entirely eliminate the possibility of additional unmeasured confounding if people who consume more yogurt have a more heart-healthy lifestyle, Johnson noted.
Also, the high-consuming group wasn't averaging more than half to a third of a serving of yogurt per day.
"What we want to look for is if there is a stepwise lowering of blood pressure with higher intake," she pointed out, although "this could be just part of total dairy intake."
Source: MEDPAGE TODAY
Also drinking daily one glass of beet juice help lower high blood pressure
source: http://www.belmarrahealth.com/natural-blood-pressure-fix-beet-juice/
source: http://www.belmarrahealth.com/natural-blood-pressure-fix-beet-juice/
I appreciate this information, but hibiscus tea is not without side effects; especially for pregnant women or women wanting to get pregnant:
See this link: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/risks-drinking-hibiscus-tea-9953.html
Also, NO ONE should start drinking large amounts of this while taking meds for high blood pressure...nor should one stop taking their meds suddently in favor of drinking the tea. Always check with your doctor.
No offense intended...you have to be careful with any herbal "remedy."
See this link: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/risks-drinking-hibiscus-tea-9953.html
Also, NO ONE should start drinking large amounts of this while taking meds for high blood pressure...nor should one stop taking their meds suddently in favor of drinking the tea. Always check with your doctor.
No offense intended...you have to be careful with any herbal "remedy."
Have you looked at Hibiscus tea?
Drinking several cups of hibiscus tea may help lower blood pressure, according to several studies. One such study, published in the July 2004 edition of "Phytomedicine," found that subjects who took an infusion prepared with 10 grams of dried calyx from Hibiscus sabdariffa for four weeks experienced reduced blood pressure, comparable to the results experienced by subjects taking the prescription medication captopril. Referred to as "sour tea" in Iran, hibiscus tea has traditionally been used to reduce blood pressure. A study published in the January 2009 "Journal of Human Hypertension" found some validity for that usage. The study reported that patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes who drank hibiscus tea twice a day for a month experienced a reduction in systolic blood pressure levels, although no reduction was noted in diastolic pressure.
I had high blood pressure about 20+ years ago I don't have it any more.
I do drink 3 cups of Hibiscus tea cold it goes down faster LOL. Is it because of the tea? I don't know but it can't hurt!
talk to your doctor!
Drinking several cups of hibiscus tea may help lower blood pressure, according to several studies. One such study, published in the July 2004 edition of "Phytomedicine," found that subjects who took an infusion prepared with 10 grams of dried calyx from Hibiscus sabdariffa for four weeks experienced reduced blood pressure, comparable to the results experienced by subjects taking the prescription medication captopril. Referred to as "sour tea" in Iran, hibiscus tea has traditionally been used to reduce blood pressure. A study published in the January 2009 "Journal of Human Hypertension" found some validity for that usage. The study reported that patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes who drank hibiscus tea twice a day for a month experienced a reduction in systolic blood pressure levels, although no reduction was noted in diastolic pressure.
I had high blood pressure about 20+ years ago I don't have it any more.
I do drink 3 cups of Hibiscus tea cold it goes down faster LOL. Is it because of the tea? I don't know but it can't hurt!
talk to your doctor!
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hypertension Community
14 super-healthy foods that are worth the hype
Small changes make a big impact with these easy ways to cut hundreds of calories a day.
Forget the fountain of youth – try flossing instead! Here are 11 surprising ways to live longer.
From STD tests to mammograms, find out which screening tests you need - and when to get them.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
