Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

New research shows that increased consumption of low-fat dairy products may reduce the risk of hypertension in middle aged and older women.

Scientists from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health studied 28,886 US women over the age of 45 for 10 years.

Results showed that the women who consumed more than 2 servings of low-fat dairy products per day were 11% less likely to develop hypertension than those who consumed little or none.

By contrast, no decrease was observed with increased consumption of high-fat dairy products.

The study was published in the February 2008 edition of Hypertension the journal of the American Heart Association.

So next time your are craving a snack, choose a cup of low fat yogurt, cottage cheese or a glass of skim milk.

Hypertension; February 2008, Volume 51, Pages 1-7; ” Dietary Intake of Dairy Products, Calcium, and Vitamin D and the Risk of Hypertension in Middle-Aged and Older Women “; Lu Wang; JoAnn E. Manson; Julie E. Buring; I-Min Lee; and Howard D. Sesso.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

New research from Finland shows that moderate berry consumption can decrease systolic blood pressure and increase HDL “good” cholesterol. Good results for your heart.

Seventy two middle-aged subjects consumed a moderate amount of bilberries, lingonberries, black currants and strawberries over an 8 week period. After the 8 weeks, their blood pressure decreased by 7.3 mmHg and their HDL “good” cholesterol increased by 5.2%.

This research was conducted at the National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland and was published in the February 2008 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

This latest study adds to the growing number of reports linking berries to a wide range of health benefits. So go ahead and help yourself to moderate amounts of the many delicious varieties of berries. Your heart just may thank you.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; February 2008, Volume 87, No 2, Pages 323-331; ” Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol”; Iris Erlund, Raika Koli, Georg Alfthan, Jukka Marniemi, Pauli Puukka, Pirjo Mustonen, Pirjo Mattila and Antti Jula.