Why you should eat more yogurt

Sometimes a bowl of rich creamy yogurt is enough to satisfy those hunger pangs. Yogurt is a healthy snack which needs no preparation. Full of good bacteria, yogurt with live and active cultures is a great way to keep our gut healthy and it acts directly on immune function and digestion.

Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of dairy on cardiovascular health including cardiovascular disease-related comorbidities such as hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and insulin resistance.

Scientists wanted to evaluate the association between yogurt consumption and cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive individuals. Since high blood pressure may be a major cause of cardiovascular health problems, researchers analysed 55,898 female Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and 18,232 male Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) participants with high blood pressure.

Consumption of more than two servings of yogurt per week had an approximately 20 per cent reduction in the risk of major coronary heart disease or stroke during the follow-up period.

Cumulative yogurt intake was validated through a food frequency questionnaire filled out by the participants and was associated with self-reported CVD outcomes including myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization. Permission was requested to access medical records to verify reported diagnoses. The participants were followed for 30 years to ascertain the outcomes of yogurt intake and their risk outcomes.

The researchers verified that a higher intake of yogurt was associated with a 30 percent reduction in myocardial infarction amongst the women and a 19 percent reduction amongst the men.
There were 3300 cardiovascular cases amongst the women and 2149 cases amongst the men. A higher intake of yogurt was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of undergoing revascularization in women.

Consumption of more than two servings of yogurt per week had an approximately 20 percent reduction in the risk of major coronary heart disease or stroke during the follow-up period. This was seen in both the groups.

When revascularization was added to the total cardiovascular disease outcome variable, the risk estimates were reduced for both men and women.

A higher yogurt intake along with a heart-healthy diet resulted in greater reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease amongst men and women who suffer from hypertension.

This study verifies the results of other smaller studies and provides the evidence based on a large scale study that more yogurt intake along with a diet rich in fibre, fruits, vegetables and whole grains is extremely beneficial for our heart.

Source: American Journal of Hypertension