News© Institutional Communication, 21/11/2005

Home
» News
» Latest news
Printer | Subscription

Skimmed milk reduces the risk of hypertension by 50%, although whole milk does not raise the risk

- The scientific journal of reference in public nutrition in the USA has published an article by researchers of the University de Navarra

Drs. Alfredo Martínez and Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, directors of the research. Photo: Manuel Castells

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the peer-reviewed journal of international reference in the field of nutrition. In its latest issue, of November, it published an article which demonstrated that non-fat milk products can reduce the risk of hypertension by 50%, while nevertheless there is no appreciable connection between that disease and the consumption of whole milk.

The research was carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Navarra, led by Drs. Alfredo Martínez and Miguel Ángel Martínez-González. This was a study which evaluated the relationship between the consumption of milk products and the risk of developing arterial hypertension.

The Harvard-Navarra connection and a research population of 6,000 persons

Three other researchers also formed part of this research group. Together, they performed a research project that followed 6,000 people over the course of two years.

Álvaro Alonso, currently a researcher in the School of Public Health at Harvard University, is the lead author of the article. As he explained, "those persons with an elevated consumption of nonfat milk and milk products showed a reduction of 50% in their risk of developing hypertension, compared with those with a low consumption or who did not consume these products. Nevertheless, no relationship was encountered between the consumption of whole milk products and the risk of hypertension."

Dr. Alonso maintains that "these results can contribute to a clearer definition of dietary guidelines for the prevention of arterial hypertension in the Spanish population. In particular, although data from prior studies indicated a possible preventative role of lactose products in the development of arterial hypertension, these results have been the first to demonstrate that this association exists in adults; this is also the first such study carried out outside of the United States."