Common Misunderstanding May Cause Many to Miss Out on Simple Solution to Help Reduce Risk of High Blood Pressure 

High blood pressure affects 50 million Americans, and government research shows that African Americans are the most likely to suffer from the disease, which is frequently called the silent killer.

In fact, approximately 35 percent of African-American men and 34 percent of African American women suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension, which is the number one cause of preventable death among African Americans. Hypertension develops earlier in life in African Americans than in Caucasians and is usually more severe. As a result, African Americans have a greater rate of fatal stroke, heart disease deaths and kidney failure than Caucasians. 

To make matters worse, African Americans may be missing out on a simple solution to help reduce their risk of hypertension due to a common misunderstanding about another medical condition, lactose intolerance, which is an inability to properly digest the sugar in milk. 

"There is a lot of misinformation in the African-American community regarding lactose intolerance," said Jeanette Newton Keith, M.D., University of Chicago Hospitals. "And because of this, many people may believe they need to avoid milk and milk products, but that's not true. And avoiding dairy products may mean they aren't getting the essential nutrients our bodies need for heart health.

Dairy Products, Fruits and Vegetables Offer a Dietary Solution 

Experts believe calcium, potassium and magnesium-which are all commonly found in milk and milk products-may play an important role in maintaining normal blood pressure. A large-scale government study called DASH-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-found that a balanced, lowfat diet rich in lowfat milk and milk products, fruits and vegetables, significantly lowers blood pressure.  

The DASH diet calls for two to three servings of fat free or lowfat milk or milk products daily along with eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. In addition, nearly two-thirds of participants in the DASH study were minorities and further analysis found particularly good news for African Americans. The DASH diet proved to be twice as effective in lowering blood pressure in African Americans than in Caucasians. 

“Hypertension is a very serious problem in the African American community. And what many people still don't realize is what you eat can affect what's going on inside your body-especially if you're not getting nutrients your body needs, "Newton Keith said. 

Overcoming Lactose Intolerance Concerns 

The DASH findings make it even more important for African Americans to understand the facts about lactose intolerance, experts say. Lactose intolerance is common among African Americans, but they can still benefit from the DASH diet. In fact, not a single African-American participant in the study dropped out due to difficulty digesting dairy products. 

"Most people who are lactose intolerant can still drink up to two glasses of milk a day without discomfort," Newton Keith said. 

"And another easy solution is to simply drink lactose-free milk which is now widely available." 

Newton Keith offers the following tips to help include dairy in your diet:

Try smaller portions of milk with meals and not on an empty stomach

*Drink lactose free milk

*Enjoy aged cheeses that have little lactose

*Eat yogurt, which may be easier to digest

*Add lactose enzyme drops to regular milk, which help break down the lactose 

Free Brochure

Consumers can now order a free brochure that includes tips for tolerance and ideas to help manage most degrees of lactose intolerance while still including dairy in the diet. To order a free copy of the Lowdown on Lactose Intolerance brochure, call

1-800-WHY-MILK or log on to the milk Web site at  www.whymilk.com/.

- Reprinted from The Champion