Milk and your blood pressure

Women who drank more fat free milk and had
higher intakes of calcium and vitamin D from foods, and not supplements, tended to have a lower risk
for developing hypertension or high blood pressure, according to a new study published in the American
Heart Association journal, Hypertension. After examining the diets of nearly 30,000 middle-
aged and older women, Harvard researchers found
that women who consumed more low-fat milk and
milk products and had diets higher in calcium and vitamin D from foods were better protected against high blood pressure. When the researchers
investigated the benefits of milk specifically, they
found women who drank two or more servings of fat
free milk each day reduced their risk for high blood
pressure by up to10 percent compared to those
who drank fat free milk less than once a month. The same was not found for higher fat milk and
milk products or calcium and vitamin D supplement
users. One in three American adults has high blood
pressure, and an increasing number of women are
living with undiagnosed hypertension, according to
a second study published in the journal Circulation. The last decade has seen significant increases in
uncontrolled high blood pressure for women across
the nation, a condition that puts them at serious
risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and even kidney failure. Yet despite a vast body of research linking diet
changes to blood pressure control, most Americans
are still missing the mark on their diets. According
to new research published in the Archives of
Internal Medicine, Americans are ignoring the
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet, the therapeutic eating plan recommended by
the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute that
emphasizes low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables to
help reduce blood pressure levels. Previous research has linked the DASH diet and
lowfat or fat free milk to blood pressure benefits -
one reason why the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for
Americans recommend drinking three glasses of
lowfat or fat free milk each day. Milk provides nine
essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, protein and potassium.