Yogurt consumption linked to low blood pressure

An American Heart Association study encompassing 15 years of monitoring more than 2,000 participants shows that if 2 percent of an individual's caloric intake comes from nonfat yogurt, it reduces the odds that he or she will develop hypertension by 31 percent.

"As you get older, your [blood] pressure tends to go up. Yogurt may be beneficial. Is this the key to heart health? It's not clear," Robert O Bonow, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Innovation at Northwestern's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute told ABC News. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension - normally called high blood pressure - has been connected to an increased risk for heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. Higher than average cholesterol levels, for which individuals can buy Lipitor from Canadian and online pharmacies, can also increase risk of heart attack.

The CDC also states that 33 percent of Americans over the age of 18 cope with high blood pressure, which was at least a partial factor for the deaths of almost 350,000 people in 2008.

"Yogurt can be part of a healthy diet and may help with managing blood pressure. A healthy diet coupled with regular physical exercise can help you manage your health and prevent chronic diseases like high blood pressure," Lona Sandon, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas told ABC News.

Over the course of the decade-and-a-half study, which was partly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, participants filled out questionnaires regarding their yogurt intake three times. None of the subjects had hypertension at the start of the survey. Consuming only 6 ounces of yogurt once every three days was enough for individuals to reduce their chances of developing high blood pressure.

Nonprofit medical organization The Mayo Clinic provides other diet and lifestyle tips that could reduce the odds of developing high blood pressure. These include consuming more potassium, less sodium and keeping an eye on nutrition labels on food products at the supermarket. Monitoring, and potentially reducing, alcohol intake could contribute to a reduction of blood pressure. Dieting and exercise are also recommended, especially for individuals with a larger-than-average waistline.