Milk is great for your heart!
Dairy foods provide a trio of nutrients that benefit your heart by helping lower blood pressure:
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Magnesium
Just three daily servings of milk, cheese or yogurt provides heart-healthy essential nutrients.1
Countless studies and decades of research indicate that people who regularly enjoy milk, cheese and yogurt have a lower risk of both heart disease and stroke.2-4
Enjoy milk, cheese and yogurt as part of your heart-healthy DASH Eating Plan
DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.”
- Designed to prevent and reduce high blood pressure and provide all the nutrients your body needs
- Can also help prevent or control diabetes
- Recognized as one of the “top diets overall” for multiple years in a row by U.S. News & World Report5
- Includes dairy foods as a crucial component
Regular or low-fat dairy foods?
All cow's milk contains the same 13 essential nutrients, regardless of fat level.
A study revealed that including regular dairy foods (such as whole milk) in the DASH Eating Plan:6
- Had the same blood pressure–lowering results as low-fat dairy
- Positively lowered triglycerides and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL cholesterol)
- Did not significantly increase LDL cholesterol
What if I’m lactose intolerant?
Nutrition experts acknowledge the importance of dairy's nutritional benefits and recommend keeping dairy in the diet even if you have lactose intolerance. Learn how to enjoy dairy with lactose intolerance.
What about milk alternatives?
When it comes to nutritional value, not all milks are created equal. Compare cow’s milk and milk substitutes.
Resources
References:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
- Dehghan M et al. Association of dairy intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 21 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study. The Lancet 2018;392:2288-2297.
- Chen GC, Wang Y, Tong X, Szeto IMY, Smit G, Li ZN, Qin LQ. Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Nutr. 2017;56(8):2565-2575.
- Alexander DD et al. Dairy consumption and CVD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr 2016;115:737-750.
- https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/dash-diet
- Chiu S et al. Comparison of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and a higher-fat DASH diet on blood pressure and lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 2016; 103:341-347.
