Lactobacillus helveticus fermented milk reduces arterial stiffness in hypertensive subjects

The present study evaluated the 10-week-treatment effect of Lactobacillus helveticus fermented milk containing the tripeptides isoleucyl-prolyl-proline (lie-Pro-Pro) and valyl-prolyl-proline (Val-Pro-Pro) on ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) by using the ambulatory 24-h blood pressure registration. The AASI improved significantly in the peptide milk group (p = 0.043), but not in the placebo group (p = 0.47), suggesting a mechanism for the antihypertensive effects of these peptides. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.