Al2-Uncast»r Farming, Saturday, lanuary 12,1985
Insights on calcium research revealed at Dairy Council meeting
BY WENDY WEam
SOUTHAMPTON - At the
Annual Meeting of Dairy Council,
Inc., on Tuesday, Jan 8, guests
were deluged with the latest
research on calcium and hyper
tension. Dr. Lawrence Resnick
outlined the preliminary research
being undertaken at the Car
diovascular - Hypertension Center,
The New York Hospital - Cornell
Medical Center.
In his technical presentation,
Resnick brought the calcium and
hypertension controversy to the
forefront, and then delivered the
results of his research group’s
initial investigations. He made the
Dairy Council audience privy to
information that will not be ac
cepted knowledge within the
general medical community for
some time. And while direct
consequences for the dairy in
dustry may be several years down
the road as well, members of the
industry will closely monitor the
results of this and other research
efforts as they plow more and
more money into promotion and
research.
Resnick began with one
provocative case study of a woman
who came to their clinic with a
history of hypertension problems.
Over a period of years, she had
taken diuretics and other high
blood pressure medicines without
relief. At the clinic, the doctors
placed her on two grams of
calcium carbonate per day, and
within five days her diastolic blood
pressure had dropped 10 points.
After three weeks on oral calcium
and taking none of her former
medications her blood pressure
had returned to normal.
Although this is one isolated
case, said Resnick, it did suggest
to the researchers that there was
some link between calcium and
high blood pressure. But defining
that link was still a mystery.
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About half of the scientific
literature on calcium, continued
Resnick, describes calcium as bad
for hypertensives, while the other
half purports the opposite con
clusion. Resnick and his associates
set out to determine why this
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contradictory and controversial
information exists.
The upshot of the research
findings is that there are different
kinds of hypertension. While their
research is only in the preliminary
stages, the Cornell investigators
have discovered that there is
something different about the way
the body handles calcium in people
with high blood pressure, said
Resnick. Different people react to
calcium as well as salt in
different ways.
Hypertension, explained
Resnick, may be related to
vasoconstriction (constriction of
the blood vessels) or blood volume,
and levels of dietary salt merely
affects volume. Finding out what
kind of hypertension a person has
whether he or she is “calcium
sensitive” or “salt-sensitive” is
critical to diagnosis.
“Salt is not relevant to
everyone’s blood pressure, and in
some cases (those with
vasoconstrictive problems) may
act in the opposite way. In only
one-third to one-half of hyper
tensive people will decreasing salt
help. We don’t give people advice
on sodium until we find out what
kind of hypertension they have.”
said Resnick.
Similarly, increasing levels of
dietary calcium, may or may not
be beneficial in treating high blood
pressure. But by measuring
calcium levels in the body, said
Resnick, they are developing some
intriguing hypotheses about the
connection between salt and
calcium.
The research suggests that
hypertensive people with low
initial calcium levels will have a
good response to increased
calcium intake. In addition, for
people who are what Resnick
termed “salt-sensitive hyper
tensives,” the more salt they eat
the more calcium will lower their
blood pressure.
‘‘lt raises a question. Rather
than tell a person who is salt
sensitive to go on a low salt diet,
maybe we can say if you just take a
little more calcium, you can still
eat that pizza or some of those high
sodium foods that you enjoy,”
.Address
State
Zip
remarked Resmck.
In a more general summation of
his complex explanation of the
research, Resnick said he ex
pected a more balanced per
spective to result, one that
recognizes that sodium is not bad
for everyone and calcium is good
for some people.
Also commenting on research at
the annual meeting was Dr. M.F.
Brink, president of National Dairy
Council. He reminded the group
that the endeavors of Resnick and
other researchers at universities
around the country are being
funded in part by the dairy in
dustry’s contributions.
In the area of nutrition research,
national dairy monies are funding
13 projects on calcium and
hypertension and 28 projects
focusing on calcium and bone
health at a price tag of $2.1 million.
“This (the connection between
calcium and hypertension) is an
emerging hyposthesis that we
want to see tested at several
medical centers and universities,”
said Brink. “If there is something
there, we want to know what that
can mean for the dairy industry.”
And then, he added, it will be the
dairy industry’s responsibility to
increase efforts to promote their
product. National Dairy Council,
added Brink, has been active in all
aspects of nutrition education
since 1950.
The most recent innovative,
nationwide project is a planned
that will be beamed to members of
the medical profession and the
allied health community at 50
sites. The teleconference will
concentrate on both areas of
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- I
■■■—MM— n i Hi. '
,utive director of Dairy Council, Inc.,
Southampton, talks with Dr. Lawrence Resnick, researcher
investigating the connection between calcium and hyper
tension.
calcium health bone health and
hypertension.
In addition to the presentation by
Dr. Resnick and remarks by Dr.
Brink, the day’s agenda included
viewing a new film, “Calcium and
Osteoporosis,” and conducting the
annual meeting.
Robert B. McSparran, president
of Dairy Council, Inc., conducted
the meeting and Ray Weber, Dairy
Council executive director, in
troduced the organization’s
dedicated staff and reviewed the
group’s accomplishments during
1984, the 65th year of operation for
Dairy Council, Inc.
WESTFAUA
Now is
the Time
(Continued from, Pate A 10)
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