Low-fat dairy consumption and reduced risk of hypertension: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort

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Abstract
Background: Some observational studies have shown a beneficial effect of dairy consumption on blood pressure, especially in overweight and relatively young (20 y in 2000 (x̄ age: 37 y), free of hypertension and cardiovascular disease at baseline, and followed-up with mailed questionnaires for a median of 27 mo. Dairy consumption was assessed with a previously validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Results: One hundred eighty new cases of hypertension were identified. The hazard ratio of hypertension between extreme quintiles of low-fat dairy product consumption was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.26, 0.84; P for trend = 0.02) after adjustment for the main known risk factors for hypertension and several dietary factors. No significant association between whole-fat dairy products or total calcium intake and incident hypertension was seen. Conclusion: In this Mediterranean cohort, low-fat dairy consumption, but not whole-fat dairy consumption, was associated with a lower risk of incident hypertension.