NEW DELHI — A new study suggests that consuming probiotics found in yoghurt and other dairy products not just help in aiding digestion but may also help in controlling blood pressure.

Probiotics are a form of ‘good bacteria’ which are generally found in fermented food. They basically help keep the intestines healthy and assist in digesting food.

During the study, researchers analysed results of nine high-quality studies examining blood pressure and probiotic consumption in 543 adults with normal and elevated blood pressure.

They found that regular probiotic consumption lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by an average 3.56 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) by an average 2.38 mm Hg.

The positive effects from probiotics on diastolic blood pressure were greatest in people whose blood pressure was equal to or greater than 130/85, which is considered elevated.

Probiotics with multiple bacteria lowered blood pressure more than those with a single bacteria, the study found.

The research is published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.