Higher yogurt intake is associated with lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals: Cross-sectional findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal study

Alexandra T Wade; Benjamin A Guenther; Fayeza S Ahmed; Merrill F Elias

doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2021.105159

Higher yogurt intake is associated with lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals: Cross-sectional findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal study

Int Dairy J. 2021 Nov:122:105159. doi: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2021.105159. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

Authors

Alexandra T Wade¹, Benjamin A Guenther², Fayeza S Ahmed², Merrill F Elias²

Affiliations

¹ Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² Department of Psychology and Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, The University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA.

Abstract

Associations between fermented dairy products and blood pressure are unclear. The current study therefore examined the association between yogurt and blood pressure in hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals. Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken on 915 community-dwelling adults from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study. Habitual yogurt consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire. The primary outcomes were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure. Secondary outcomes included BMI (kg m^-2), total cholesterol (mg dL^-1), glucose (mg dL^-1), HDL (mg dL^-1), LDL (mg dL^-1), triglycerides (mg dL^-1), and plasma homocysteine (μmol L^-1). Multivariable regression analyses revealed significant inverse associations between yogurt and both SBP (p < 0.05) and MAP (p < 0.05) in hypertensive (n = 564) but not non-hypertensive participants (n = 351). Future observational and intervention studies should continue to focus on at-risk individuals to examine the potential benefits of yogurt.

Abstract

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