Buttermilk and blood pressure in people with normal readings
What it found
Drinking buttermilk for four weeks lowered the top blood pressure number by 2.6 mm Hg in people with normal readings.
It also reduced a blood enzyme linked to blood pressure control.
What they found
Studies in people
Systolic blood pressure dropped
The top blood pressure number fell by 2.6 mm Hg after four weeks of buttermilk compared with the placebo. The average arterial pressure also dropped by 1.7 mm Hg. The bottom number fell by 1.2 mm Hg, but this change was too small to be certain.
ACE enzyme levels fell
A blood enzyme called ACE, which helps control blood pressure, dropped by about 11% on buttermilk compared with the placebo. Two other related hormones in the blood did not change.
Cholesterol and triglycerides
In these same participants, buttermilk lowered total cholesterol by 3.1% and triglycerides by 10.7% compared with the placebo.
No weight changes
Body weight, waist size and hip size stayed the same during both the buttermilk and placebo phases. Participants reported no side effects from either drink.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that drinking 45 g of buttermilk daily for four weeks lowers the top blood pressure number in people with normal readings.
- They suggest this effect may come from the milk fat globule membrane proteins in buttermilk lowering ACE enzyme activity.
- They call for more research to see if longer use or higher starting blood pressure leads to bigger drops.
How it was done
High blood pressure is a leading cause of death worldwide, and diet plays a big role in managing it. Buttermilk contains milk fat globule membrane proteins that might help lower blood pressure, but no one had tested this in people before.
Thirty-four men and women with normal blood pressure and slightly raised cholesterol took part. They drank 45 g of chocolate-flavored buttermilk powder mixed with water every day for four weeks. They then switched to a look-alike placebo drink for another four weeks, or did the two phases in the opposite order.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only lasted four weeks, so it cannot show what happens when people drink buttermilk over many months or years.
- Everyone in the trial already had normal blood pressure, so it cannot show whether buttermilk helps people who have high blood pressure.
- The trial used 34 people, so the results need to be checked in larger 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
- Full text
- 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.2013.07.021Free full textPubMed 24206823DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error