Looking to lower your blood pressure? You might want to add more soy or low-fat dairy to your diet. A new study offers some of the strongest evidence yet that replacing carbohydrates with protein from low-fat dairy and soy can help reduce blood pressure. The study is the first to directly compare the effects of vegetable protein, dairy protein, and carbohydrates on hypertension. Study participants who took low-fat protein supplements derived from either milk or soy had lower blood pressure readings than participants who took carbohydrate supplements. While this difference was modest, the researchers say it could mean a 6% drop in stroke deaths and a 4% drop in deaths from heart attack.
