Yoghurt consumption curbs heart disease

Moderate daily consumption of yoghurt prevents thickening of the carotid artery and keeps heart disease at bay.

Dietician Kerry Ivey from Sir Charles Gardener Hospital said lack of research into the effect of dairy products on cartoid thickening agent CCA-IMT necessitated the study.

"In general, dairy products get a bit of a bad rap in regard to cardiovascular disease, but there has been a demonstrated cardiovascular benefit in probiotic and yoghurt consumption," adds Ivey, according to the journal American Society for Nutrition.

The trial used a cohort of 1,080 Perth women over the age of 70, who had been randomly selected for a `Calcium Intake and Fracture Outcome Study`, according to a Sir Charles Gardner statement.

Participants answered questionnaires with the aid of a research assistant who used food models, cups, spoons and charts to ensure identical measurements representing consumption were used.

Three different measurements of the left and right carotid arteries at two different angles were averaged out to find the participants mean (average) IMT (intima-media thickness), both initially and after three years.

Those with a high to moderate yoghurt consumption of 100 grams per day or above had significantly lower CCA-IMT than those with yoghurt consumption of 100 grams per day or less.

Research also highlighted that high milk and cheese consumption equalled higher CCA-IMT compared with high yogurt consumption.