Effect on blood pressure of dietary integration with grana padano cheese

ow-milk protein fermentation by proteinases from Lactobacillus helveticus can produce peptides with sustained ACE inhibitory activity, mainly due to 2 tripeptides [valyl-prolyl-proline (VPP) and isoleucil-prolyl-proline (IPP)] that have shown to lower blood pressure (BP) in experimental animals and in humans. Grana Padano cheese is an Italian semi-fat hard cheese which has shown a potent in-vitro ACE-inhibitory effect (spectrophotometric assay). Aim of study was to test the hypothesis that a dietary integration with a small amount of Grana Padano cheese was able to reduce BP in mild hypertensive patients. The randomized, open-label, controlled study has been concluded in 45 patients (29 actively treated with a daily dose of 30 g of Grana Padano cheese and 16 control hypertensive individuals) on stable pharmacological treatment which excluded ACE-I or ARBs. BP was measured before and at the end of the observation period (2 months) by office BP (OBP), automated office BP (BpTRU), and ambulatory BP (ABP) monitoring. Baseline values for age, gender, BP, BMI, total and HDL cholesterol, tryglicerides, blood glucose, serum sodium and potassium levels, and urinary sodium excretion, did not result significantly different between the two groups. Main results on BP are reported in the table. Effect of dietary integration with Grana Padano cheese on BP in hypertensive patients. Comparison between baseline and end of treatment and between treated and control patients. Systolic/diastolic BP mmHg ± Standard deviation of the means (SD). Patients who received Grana Padano cheese presented a statistically significant reduction in systolic and diastolic BP (Student's t test: p < 0.025) irrespectively of the type of BP measurement used. No changes in BMI, total and HDL cholesterol, tryglicerides, blood glucose, serum sodium and potassium levels, and urinary sodium excretion were found after the dietary integration. Treated patients Office BP BpTRU Daytime ABP Nighttime ABP BP Baseline 145/90 ± 4/5 136/86 ± 6/4 135/86 ± 8/11 119/72 ± 7/8 BP End 135/82 ± 4/5 124/78 ± 11/8 127/74 ± 8/11 114/66 ± 7/7 Control patients BP Baseline 147/91 ± 5/6 136/87 ± 9/5 137/85 ± 8/10 117/74 ± 7/7 BP End 146/90 ± 7/5 135/86 ± 8/7 136/84 ± 9/11 116/75 ± 8/8