Got yogurt? Then you might not get high blood pressure

People who take in at least 2% of their calories from yogurt have lower blood pressure and are about 30% less likely to develop hypertension than people who do not eat yogurt, scientists reported at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research meeting in Washington, D.C. The yogurt finding is from a study in which researchers followed nearly 2,200 adults for 15 years and assessed their diets periodically with a questionnaire.

Eating at least one 6-ounce serving of yogurt every three days would provide the 2% "dose" cited in the study. Yogurt by itself does not lower blood pressure or prevent hypertension. But a diet that includes nutrient-rich foods like low-fat yogurt instead of less healthy foods does combat high blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan calls for two to three servings of low-fat dairy per day.