Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Dairy Products for Heart HealthHeart disease and strokes are major health issues facing Canadians and are a leading cause of death in the world today. New understanding of the process through which heart (cardiovascular) disease develops has shown that the body's defence system - the immune system - plays an important role. When the immune system mistakenly sends ""danger"" signals promoting inflammation, various health problems can result, including development of cardiovascular disease through the build-up of plaques in arteries, termed atherosclerosis. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that consumption of dairy products - and especially of fermented dairy products such as yogurt - is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, so much remains to be learned about exactly how these dairy products work to stop or slow down the process of atherosclerosis that leads to cardiovascular disease development. Certain fermented milk components have been shown to decrease hypertension, and to have ""calming"" effects on the immune system, suggesting that milk products may act to protect from development of cardiovascular disease. This research aims to determine how fermented dairy products influence development of factors leading to atherosclerosis and decrease development of cardiovascular disease, providing necessary knowledge for the use of milk products as a practical strategy for Canadians to take steps to promote cardiovascular health through dietary choices.