Low-fat milk helps aged lower blood pressure
Elderly people are being urged to drink a glass of low-fat milk a day to ward off high blood pressure.
Calcium in the milk helps lower blood pressure by increasing sodium excretion by the kidneys, which relaxes the blood vessels.
The Chinese University carried out two studies, in 1998 and 2004, comparing the calcium, potassium and sodium contents of the diet of 334 elderly people.
It found that the 53 per cent with hypertension had a daily calcium intake of between 300mg and 400mg. This was much lower than the 1,000mg recommended by the Chinese Nutrition Society.
'Only one [250ml] glass of low-fat milk [equal to 300mg of calcium] would help to reduce the risk of hypertension by at least 10 per cent,' said Thomas Chan Yan-keung, professor at the university's medicine and therapeutics department and a specialist in internal medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital.
'It is the simplest and quickest way to boost calcium intake.'
He was aware, however, that many elderly people disliked the taste of milk or felt sick after drinking it.
He suggested they drink on a full stomach and also take other low-fat diary products, such as cheese and yogurt.
Calcium is also understood to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis among the elderly - a common bone disease that mostly affects women.
