Buttermilk and blood pressure in a short trial
What it found
In a 4 week trial in 34 men and women, buttermilk lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.6 mm Hg compared with a placebo.
It also lowered mean arterial blood pressure and levels of an enzyme called angiotensin I-converting enzyme.
What they found
Studies in people
Systolic blood pressure
Buttermilk lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.6 mm Hg compared with the placebo.
Mean arterial pressure
Mean arterial blood pressure fell by 1.7 mm Hg compared with the placebo.
Angiotensin I-converting enzyme
Plasma levels of angiotensin I-converting enzyme dropped by 10.9% compared with the placebo.
Angiotensin II and aldosterone
Buttermilk had no effect on plasma concentrations of angiotensin II and aldosterone.
What the authors conclude
“Short-term buttermilk consumption reduces blood pressure in normotensive individuals.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that short-term buttermilk consumption reduces blood pressure in normotensive individuals.
How it was done
The milk fat globule membrane in buttermilk is rich in bioactive proteins. Some studies suggest these proteins have cholesterol-lowering, antiviral, antibacterial and anticancer properties, but human data are lacking, and no study had looked at their effect on blood pressure.
They recruited 34 men and women with normal blood pressure (under 140 mm Hg) and LDL cholesterol under 5 mmol/L. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, each person took 45 g a day of buttermilk and 45 g a day of a matched placebo, in random order, for 4 weeks each.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The trial lasted only 4 weeks, so it cannot show what longer-term buttermilk consumption does.
- It studied 34 people with normal blood pressure and moderately high cholesterol, so the results may not apply to other groups.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Laval University, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Effect of buttermilk consumption on blood pressure in moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Conway V, Couture P, Gauthier S, Pouliot Y, Lamarche B (2014). Effect of buttermilk consumption on blood pressure in moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.). doi:10.1016/j.nut.2013.07.021PubMed 24206823DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error