Can Yogurt Keep Your Heart Healthy?
Yogurt has gained a superfood reputation for its gut-pleasing and bone-boosting benefits, but a large-scale study published in the American Journal of Hypertension is now linking your favorite smoothie booster to a healthier heart.
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LOWER YOUR RISK: Female subjects who logged a diet high in yogurt as part of the Nurses’ Health Study were found to have a 30% lower chance of suffering a heart attack than participants who didn’t frequently enjoy the popular dairy food. Comparably, male participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with the highest intake of yogurt benefited from a 19% risk reduction. Approximately 74,000 men and women with high blood pressure participated in total, and researchers determined that those who reported a high intake of yogurt (defined as at least two servings per week) across both cohorts had their risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke, slashed by about one-fifth.
THE MISSING LINKS: The news is encouraging, but further study is needed to determine whether the fat content of the yogurt matters or if the benefits experienced were an effect of an overall healthier lifestyle. In the meantime, it appears it can’t hurt to go Greek, Icelandic or even goat!