Enzymatically hydrolyzed lactotripeptides do not lower blood pressure in mildly hypertensive subjects

Abstract

Background:Several placebo-controlled clinical studies suggest that products containing isoleucyl-prolyl-proline and valyl-prolyl-proline are able to lower blood pressure without adverse effects. The most efficient way of producing high concentrations of these lactotripeptides (LTPs) is enzymatic hydrolysis of dairy protein (casein) with the use of a mixture of several enzymes derived from the nongenetically modified organismAspergillus oryzae, including proteases and peptidases. To date, no large studies of the blood pressure–lowering properties of enzymatically produced LTP (ELTP) powder in European populations have been published. Objective:This study was performed to evaluate the hypothesis that consumption of ELTP in a yogurt beverage for 8 wk significantly lowers blood pressure. Design:In this multicenter, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial, office blood pressure was evaluated in 275 Dutch hypertensive subjects. Blood pressures and body weight were measured on several days at baseline and at weeks 4 and 8 of the intervention between 2.5 and 3 h after intake of the test product. Twenty-four–h urine samples were collected at baseline and at the end of the intervention for urinalysis of sodium, potassium, creatinine, and microalbumin excretion. Results:The results showed that 10.2 mg ELTP/d does not lead to a reduction in systolic blood pressure (P = 0.66) or diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.72) compared with placebo. Conclusion:This study showed no effect of an ELTP-enriched yogurt beverage on blood pressure in hypertensive subjects in a fairly large study.