ABSTRACT
Elevated blood pressure is one of the major independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). To prevent hypertension and its adverse outcomes (e.g., stroke, heart, and renal failure), health authorities recommend regular physical activity, moderate alcohol intake, weight control, reduced sodium intake, and increased potassium intake (Appel et al. 2006, Mancia et al. 2009, 2013). A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and low in saturated and total fat has been reported to lower blood pressure in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial (Appel et al. 1997). The DASH diet includes two to three servings of low-fat or nonfat dairy foods per day (2000 calorie diet). Figure 5.1 illustrates the number of portions recommended for each food group in the DASH diet. In 2010, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), assisted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrition Evidence Library, concluded that there was moderate evidence for an inverse relationship between the intake of milk and milk products and blood pressure (McGrane et al. 2011). A meta-analysis of five cohort studies (nearly 45,000 subjects) was conducted to examine the association between dairy food intake from low- and high-fat dairy, cheese, and fluid dairy food (milk or yogurt), and blood pressure. A reduction of blood pressure was found with low-fat dairy foods and fluid dairy (milk or yogurt) foods (Ralston et al. 2012).
