People who drink two glasses of low-fat milk a day are less likely to suffer from hypertension, new research has found.

Those whose diets contained 600g of dairy products a day -- just over a pint of milk or three tubs of yogurt -- were half as likely to develop high blood pressure, which is a major contributor to heart attacks and stroke.

But the effect was only seen with low fat versions, such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

The researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, monitored the diets and health of 6,000 volunteers over two years, said the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.