The Milk Producer - September 2011 - (Page 50)

THEBACKFORTY By Sharon Laidlaw Good for your heart L ast month, you read in this column how eating yogurt could help you maintain your weight over a long period. A new study now suggests yogurt and other low-fat milk products can also help lower your blood pressure. According to Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians has high blood pressure, a condition that can cause heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney damage. Hypertension is the main risk factor for mortality in Canada. A diet rich in milk products and fruits and vegetables could help treat mild hypertension or prevent it among those at risk. A recent U.S. study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found increasing protein intake, from foods such as milk, could help lower systolic blood pressure. Systolic is the top number on a blood pressure reading. Just over 350 adults with highnormal blood pressure or mild hypertension were asked to consume 40 grams of low-fat protein supplements derived from either milk or soy or a refined carbohydrate supplementation over an eight-week period. Soy protein and milk protein significantly lowered systolic blood pressure, compared with the carbohydrate supplement. Systolic blood pressure measures the pres- A new study suggests yogurt and other low-fat milk products may help lower your blood pressure sure when the heart contracts. For some, this change could mean the difference between maintaining a healthy systolic blood pressure level and having high blood pressure. The researchers said it could mean a six per cent drop in stroke deaths and a four per cent drop in heart attack deaths. Earlier studies have shown milk protein contains enzymes and amino acids that help lower blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet as it’s more commonly known, suggests eating low-fat milk products, which contain calcium and potassium, can help prevent hypertension. A diet rich in milk products and fruits and vegetables could help treat mild hypertension or prevent it among those at risk. 50 | September 2011 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - September 2011

The Milk Producer - September 2011
Contents
Editor’s Notes
DFO Chair’s Message
Dairy Update
Johne’s Update
DFC Promotion
Producer Profile
Cover Story
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Alternative Energy
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - September 2011