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Dairy Council Digest Archives
SPOTLIGHT ON DAIRY FOODS, DAIRY NUTRIENTS & BLOOD PRESSURE
Volume 80, Number 1 January/February 2009
Summary

 
High blood pressure or hypertension is a common disorder affecting many Americans, both children and adults. Because of its high prevalence, serious health consequences, and economic burden, lifestyle changes, including dietary modifications, are recommended to help prevent and treat hypertension. Over the past decade, the importance of consuming a healthful diet containing three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or equivalent milk products – as recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – has emerged as a potential effective strategy together with recommended lifestyle practices to help lower blood pressure.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial demonstrated that a low-fat dietary pattern high in low-fat or fat-free dairy foods (two to three servings/day) and fruits and vegetables (eight to ten servings/day) – the so-called DASH dietary pattern – produced significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults with pre-hypertension or hypertension. The blood pressure-lowering effect of the DASH dietary pattern was particularly effective for those with hypertension and African Americans, a group at high risk for hypertension. A number of health professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, support the DASH dietary pattern to help prevent and treat hypertension.

Consuming DASH-like dietary patterns characterized by high intakes of dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables has been shown to have beneficial effects on blood pressure in adults, as well as children and adolescents. In a recent study of adolescents with pre-hypertension or hypertension, consumption of a DASH-like dietary pattern for three months reduced systolic blood pressure and improved the quality of their diets.

A number of observational studies reinforce the importance of consuming recommended servings of low-fat dairy foods to help lower blood pressure and hypertension risk. A cross-sectional study of more than 4,700 adults participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study found that consuming three or more servings of dairy foods a day was associated with significantly lower systolic blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension when compared to consuming less than one-half serving of dairy foods a day.

Dairy foods provide a number of essential nutrients including calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and high quality protein. Studies have linked intake of these nutrients to lower blood pressure. Moreover, findings suggest that food sources of some of these nutrients may have a greater blood pressure-lowering effect than do supplements. Thus, the observed blood pressure benefits of dairy foods may be explained by their complete package of nutrients.

Preventing high blood pressure is important at any age. Accumulating scientific evidence suggests that small changes in lifestyle, including diet, can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. Consuming a healthful diet consistent with a DASH dietary pattern including three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods a day is one approach that may help achieve and maintain a healthy blood pressure.

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Table of Contents:

Dairy’s Health Benefits

Getting three servings of low-fat or fat-free, nutrient-rich dairy foods every day plays a crucial role in helping to promote bone health, healthy blood pressure and a healthy weight.

Dairy’s Unique Nutrient Combination

Together, low-fat and fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt deliver a unique combination of nutrients. Learn more about these nine essential nutrients and their role in building strong bones, a healthy diet, and more.