A Little Yogurt Lowers Heart Disease Risk

Men and women with hypertension who consume at least 2 servings of yogurt per week have a lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a new study.

For their study, the researchers assessed data on 55,898 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and 18,232 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) with prevalent high blood pressure (BP).
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Cox proportional hazards models were used to relate cumulative average estimates of yogurt intake and verified self-reported CVD outcomes. Results were adjusted for CVD risk factors, medications, and diet covariates.

Findings revealed that yogurt consumption was associated with a lower risk for CVD events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, in both cohorts. Compared with those who consumed less than 1 serving of yogurt per month, NHS women who consumed at least 2 servings of yogurt per week had a 17% lower risk for CVD, and HPFS men had a 21% lower risk.

Furthermore, women and men with hypertension with higher Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet scores who regularly consumed yogurt had 16% and 30% lower risks for CVD, respectively.

“Hypertensive men and women who consumed [at least 2 servings per week] of yogurt, especially in the context of a healthy diet, were at lower risk for developing CVD,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Buendia JR, Li Y, Hu FB, et al. Regular yogurt intake and risk of cardiovascular disease among hypertensive adults [Published online February 15, 2018]. Am J Hypertens. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpx220.