Background: The consumption of dairy products may influence the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total mortality, but conflicting findings have been reported. Objective: The objective was to examine the associations of milk, total dairy products, and high-and low-fat dairy intakes with the risk of CVD [including coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke] and total mortality. Design: PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched for articles published up to February 2010. Of .5000 titles evaluated, 17 met the inclusion criteria, all of which were original prospective cohort studies. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed with summarized dose-response data. Milk as the main dairy product was pooled in these analyses. Limited studies of the association of total dairy products and of total high-fat and total low-fat dairy products (per 200 g/d) with CHD showed no significant associations. Conclusion: This dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies indicates that milk intake is not associated with total mortality but may be inversely associated with overall CVD risk; however, these findings are based on limited numbers.Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93:158-71.

A high whey protein-, leucine-, and vitamin D-enriched supplement compared with isocaloric control preserves appendicular muscle mass in obese older adults during a hypocaloric diet and resistance exercise program and might therefore reduce the risk of sarcopenia. This trial was registered at the Dutch Trial Register (http://www.trialregister.nl) as NTR2751.

The findings from this prospective cohort study provided no evidence of an association between dietary acid load and risk of hypertension in older adults.

H ypertension (HTN) contributes to approximately half of all cardiovascular diseases.1 In 2000, the worldwide prevalence of HTN was estimated to be 26%, affecting ≈1 billion people. It is expected that 29% of the world population will be experiencing HTN in 2025, mainly because of the expected increase in hypertensive people in economically developing regions. 2American and European guidelines emphasize the importance of weight control, regular physical activity, moderate alcohol intake, and reduced sodium intake for the prevention of HTN and cardiovascular diseases. 3,4 A diet low in saturated and total fat and rich in fruit, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products substantially lowered blood pressure (BP) in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial. 5 Dairy products contain protein, minerals (eg, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus), and vitamins (eg, folate and vitamin D, if fortified) that may individually or in combination reduce BP. [6][7][8] A recent meta-analysis of 5 prospective cohort studies showed significant inverse associations of total dairy, low-fat dairy, and fluid dairy foods with BP. 9 However, large variation in the types of dairy intake and serving sizes exists among populations, which has not yet been fully explored. Therefore, we conducted a dose-response meta-analysis of 9 populationbased cohort studies in which we examined total dairy, low-fat dairy, high-fat dairy, and different types of dairy products in relation to incidence of HTN. Methods Study SelectionA systematic literature search was conducted for articles on dairy consumption and BP or HTN, which were published until July 2011, using the databases of PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed), Embase (www.embase.com), and Scopus (www.scopus.com). Titles and abstracts were screened to select prospective studies on dairy intake and HTN or BP changes over time. We identified a total of 1709 unique articles, from which we excluded animal studies, in vitro studies, comments, letters, editorials, ecological studies, and randomized controlled trials. Studies in children, adolescents and pregnant women, patients, and hypertensive populations were also excluded. Additional articles were found by checking bibliographies of cohort studies and reviews.Abstract-Observational and clinical studies suggest that dairy intake, particularly low-fat dairy, could have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. We performed a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on dairy intake and risk of hypertension in the general population. A systematic literature search for eligible studies was conducted until July 2011, using literature databases and hand search. Study-specific dose-response associations were computed according to the generalized least squares for trend estimation method, and linear and piecewise regression models were created. Random-effects models were performed with summarized dose-response data. We included 9 studies with a sample size of 57 256, a total of 15 367 incident hypertension cases, and a...

Intake of low-fat dairy products may contribute to the prevention of hypertension at an older age.

SummaryBackground and objectives Acidosis is prevalent among renal transplant recipients (RTRs) and adversely affects cardiometabolic processes. Factors contributing to acidosis are graft dysfunction and immunosuppressive drugs. Little is known about the potential influence of diet on acidosis in RTRs. This study examined the association of metabolic acid load with acidosis and with cardiovascular risk factors in RTRs and aimed to identify dietary factors associated with acidosis.Design, participants, setting, & measurements 707 RTRs were included. Metabolic acid load was assessed by measuring 24-hour urinary net acid excretion (NAE; i.e., titratable acid + ammonium 2 bicarbonate). Acidosis was defined as serum [HCO 3 2 ] , 24 mmol/L. BP and insulin resistance, reflected by hemoglobin A1c, were among cardiovascular risk factors. Diet was assessed with food-frequency questionnaires. Linear regression analysis was applied to investigate association between NAE and acidosis and between dietary factors and acidosis.Results Mean age 6 SD was 53613 years; 57% of patients were male. Acidosis was present in 31% of RTRs. NAE was associated with acidosis (serum HCO 3 2 : b=20.61; serum pH: b=20.010; both P,0.001). Patients with high intake of animal protein (i.e., from meat, cheese, and fish) and low intake of fruits and vegetables had significantly lower serum HCO 3 2 and serum pH. No associations were observed between NAE and cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and insulin resistance.Conclusions In addition to conventional factors contributing to acidosis, diet might influence acid-base homeostasis in RTRs. Higher intake of fruits and vegetables and lower animal protein intake is associated with less acidosis in RTRs.

BackgroundElevated blood pressure (BP), which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is highly prevalent worldwide. Recently, interest has grown in the role of dietary protein in human BP. We performed a systematic review of all published scientific literature on dietary protein, including protein from various sources, in relation to human BP.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe performed a MEDLINE search and a manual search to identify English language studies on the association between protein and blood pressure, published before June 2010. A total of 46 papers met the inclusion criteria. Most observational studies showed no association or an inverse association between total dietary protein and BP or incident hypertension. Results of biomarker studies and randomized controlled trials indicated a beneficial effect of protein on BP. This beneficial effect may be mainly driven by plant protein, according to results in observational studies. Data on protein from specific sources (e.g. from fish, dairy, grain, soy, and nut) were scarce. There was some evidence that BP in people with elevated BP and/or older age could be more sensitive to dietary protein.Conclusions/SignificanceIn conclusion, evidence suggests a small beneficial effect of protein on BP, especially for plant protein. A blood pressure lowering effect of protein may have important public health implications. However, this warrants further investigation in randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, more data are needed on protein from specific sources in relation to BP, and on the protein-BP relation in population subgroups.

In this long-term follow-up study of older Dutch subjects, total dairy consumption or the intake of specific dairy products was not related to the occurrence of CVD events. The observed inverse association between high-fat dairy and fatal stroke warrants confirmation in other studies.