Daily Dairy Intake Reduces Heart Disease Risk

Daily Dairy Intake Reduces Heart Disease Risk

Pour yourself a cold glass of milk. Adding a small serving of dairy to your daily diet could lead to a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study suggests.

An increase in the consumption of dairy could be beneficial to heart health and lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to researchers from Monash University in Australia in a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Researchers analyzed data from close to 4,000 people and found that overall, intake of dairy products up to seven times a week had positive effects on stroke risk.  Participants who consumed no dairy were seen to have higher blood pressure, BMI and body fat than those who had dairy on a daily basis.

It is key to consume dairy on a daily basis, researchers indicated, with one serving being equivalent to eight grams of protein, such as a glass of milk or 45 grams of cheese.

Heart Disease claims approximately 1 million lives a year in the US and it is the number one cause of death in the country among both men and women, according to the Heart Foundation. It has been estimated that by the year 2020 heart disease will be the leading cause of death worldwide.

September 29 is World Heart Day, an annual event to spread awareness of cardiovascular disease around the world.  ‘At least 80% of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) could be avoided if four main risk factors – tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol – are controlled,’ according to the World Heart Foundation.

Image Credit: margouillat photo/Shutterstock

 

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