1. ¹Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
2. ²Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
3. ³Valio Ltd, R&D, Helsinki, Finland
4. ⁴Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
5. ⁵Department of Community Health and General Practice, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

Correspondence: Dr J Tuomilehto, Diabetes and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: jaakko.tuomilehto@ktl.fi

Received 9 October 2003; Accepted 18 February 2004; Published online 3 June 2004.

Abstract

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is important in the regulation of blood pressure (BP). Two tripeptides that inhibit ACE, isoleucyl–prolyl–proline (Ile-Pro-Pro) and valyl–prolyl–proline (Val-Pro-Pro), have been isolated from certain sour milks. The aim of the study reported was to evaluate the effect on BP in subjects with mild hypertension of a new sour milk containing tripeptides. The initial number of subjects was 60 (36 men, 24 women). Among the criteria for inclusion in the study were systolic BP (SBP) between 140 and 180 mmHg and/or diastolic BP (DPB) between 90 and 110 mmHg, without antihypertensive drug therapy. There were two study periods with a washout period between. All subjects were given 1.5 dl per day of a placebo (regular sour milk) or of the active product, a milk that had been fermented with Lactobacillus helveticus bacteria and contained 2.4–2.7 mg of Ile-Pro-Pro and 2.4–2.7 mg of Val-Pro-Pro per 1.5 dl. In the first phase, SBP fell 16 mmHg from baseline in the active group, 2 mmHg more than in the placebo group (P=0.0668) and no difference in DBP (P=0.92). There was a statistically significant downward trend both in SBP and DBP (P=0.0001). During the second phase, SBP fell 11 mmHg in the active group (P=0.008). The reduction in SBP was significantly larger in active than placebo group (P=0.012). In the crossover analysis combining both phases, SBP fell on average 2.615.9 mmHg more on the active product compared with the placebo product, but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.3111). The difference in DBP, 1.08.3 mmHg between the two test products was not significant either (P=0.4431). In conclusion, the ingestion of sour milk fermented by L. helveticus bacteria and that containing ACE inhibitory tripeptides seems to lower BP modestly.