High intake of calcium can reduce stroke risk

CALCIUM intake may reduce the risk of stroke by as much as 30 per cent, according to new research from Japan. More than 40,000 middle-aged people were surveyed on their dairy consumption.

Researchers found a reduced risk of stroke and heart failure among those with an higher calcium intake.Dr Carole Lowis, consultant nutritionist with the dairy council for Northern Ireland said the results added to research from other parts of the world.

“We do not fully understand why those with the highest dairy calcium intakes were betterprotected against the risk of stroke in this study but one explanation could be the beneficial effect of calcium and dairy foods on blood pressure,” Dr Lowis said.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for both stroke and heart disease.

Consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy foods a day has been shown to help to lower blood pressure.This effect is thought to be partly due to the calcium in dairy foods but also to the other nutrients they contain such as potassium and
magnesium.

Dr Lowis encouraged people to drink more milk, which is high in calcium.“Calcium is also easily absorbed from dairy products,” she said.“For example, although spinach is relatively rich in calcium, you would need to eat 11 servings to absorb as much calcium as you could from a single glass of milk.”

- The Japanese study was published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke