Objective:
Present data refers to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in which 30 mild-moderate hypertensive patients, received a dietary integration with Grana Padano DOP cheese to evaluate blood pressure (BP) changes.
Cow-milk fermentation induced by Lactobacillus helveticus produces peptides with sustained ACE inhibitory activity, mainly dues to 2 tripeptides (valyl-prolyl-proline and isoleucil-prolyl-proline) that have shown to lower blood pressure (BP) in experimental animals and in humans. Grana Padano DOP, an Italian semi-fat hard cheese, has shown a potent in-vitro ACE-inhibitory effect due its high concentration of such tripeptides.
Design and Method:
Thirty mild-moderate hypertensive patients presenting with BP values not on target (> 140 and /or > 90 mmHg) after their usual and stable (3 months at least) treatment were considered in the study. All patients received, in random fashion, a dietary integration with Grana Padano Cheese (30 g per day) and placebo (obtained with flavored bread mixed with fats and salts in concentrations equal to those of the cheese), in cross-over fashion.
BP was evaluated at baseline and at the end of the active and placebo treatment (2 months each) by: -Office BP (OBP) and Automated Office BP using the BpTRU, (VSM MedTech Ltd, Vancouver, Canada), an automated oscillometric device that provides the average of multiple (6) blood pressure measurements.
Results:
The dietary integration with Grana Padano cheese resulted in a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic Office and Automated Office BP (BpTRU) mean values. The mean decrease (versus plaebo) was −6 mmHg for systolic and -5 mmHg for diastolic BP (Student's t test: p < 0.025 and p < 0.05 rispectively)
Conclusions:
Dietary integration with milk derivatives containing valyl-prolyl-proline and isoleucil-prolyl-proline (such as Grana Padano DOP cheese) may be helpful to reach BP target in mild -to-moderate hypertensive patients.
