The aim was to examine the association between habitual consumption of dairy products and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring among older adults with hypertension.
Methods
We conducted an analysis of 715 community-living hypertensive adults age ≥60. Habitual dairy consumption was assessed with a validated diet history. Blood pressure was recorded by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; controlled blood pressure was defined as 24-hour blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg in those under drug treatment. Analyses were adjusted for main confounders, including diet, hypertension duration, and being on antihypertensive treatment.
Results
After adjustment for confounders, consumers of ≥7 servings/week of whole-fat milk/yogurt had a diastolic blood pressure 1.40 mm Hg higher (95% confidence interval, 0.01, 2.81) than consumers of <1 serving/week. By contrast, consumers of ≥7 servings/week of low-fat milk/yogurt had a diastolic blood pressure 1.74 mm Hg lower (95% confidence interval, –3.26, –0.23) than consumers of <1 serving/week. Moreover, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for controlled blood pressure was 1.83 (1.05-3.08) for those consuming ≥7 servings/week of low-fat milk/yogurt, when compared with consumers of <1 serving/week. Cheese consumption was not associated with blood pressure.
Conclusions
Regular consumption of low-fat milk/yogurt was associated with lower 24-hour diastolic blood pressure and with better blood pressure control among older adults with hypertension.
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-Alberto Lana, PhD, Jose R. Banegas, PhD, Pilar Guallar-Castillón, PhD, Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo, PhD, Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD
This article originally appeared in the October issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
