Blood Pressure and Stroke:

During the past few years, dairy components (minerals and proteins) have been reported to reduce blood pressure, which has been associated with stroke. Some of the literature that support this premise include:

Massey Linda K (2001) Dairy Food Consupmption, Blood Pressure and Stoke. Journal Nutrition 131:1875- 1878.

     Abstract: Recent clinical and biochemical evidence supporting the hypothesis that consumption of dairy products may be associated with reduced blood pressure and risk of stokes in reviewed.  The two prospective studies of dairy food consumption and stroke incidence both indicate that a higher intake of dairy foods reduces risk. It is difficult to associate any one mineral in dairy products to reduction in blood pressure because an appropriate balance of all three is important and because of the strong correlation among Ca, Mg and K intakes when dairy products are consumed.  In fact, the evidence reviewed indicates that although K apparently has the greatest effect, all three minerals potentially contribute to blood pressure and stroke deduction; i.e., a dietary balance of all three is recommended. Milk and food products such as yogurt made from milk, which retain substantial amounts of Ca, K and Mg, are important dietary sources of all three of these  minerals.  In addition, milk is a low Na food, which, as seen in Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) II, provides further benefit in blood pressure reduction.  New studies have associated dairy food consumption with other potential mechanisms affecting stroke, mainly reduction of platelet aggregation and insulin resistance.  Further researchis required to explore the relationship of dairy food consumption and stroke