Buttermilk Benefits: What Chaas Does for Digestion, Blood Pressure and More
Published on 15 September, 2026
Buttermilk is the drink people reach for after a heavy meal, and in Indian households it arrives at the end of lunch almost without being asked for. That instinct turns out to be sound—though the word covers three genuinely different products, and it is worth knowing which one you have.
Three Different Things Are Called Buttermilk
| What it is | Where you find it | |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional buttermilk | The thin liquid left behind after churning butter from cultured cream. Naturally low in fat | Increasingly rare commercially |
| Cultured buttermilk | Low-fat milk deliberately fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Not a byproduct of butter at all | Standard in United States supermarkets |
| Chaas, or takra | Yogurt whisked with water, usually salted and spiced with cumin, ginger or curry leaves | Indian homes and restaurants |
All three are fermented, all three are thinner and more acidic than milk, and all three are easier on the stomach than plain milk. The nutrition figures below come from cultured buttermilk, which is the version most standardized data exists for.
What a Glass Contains
Figures from the United States Department of Agriculture for low-fat cultured buttermilk, per cup of about 245 grams.
| Nutrient | Per cup (245 g) | Share of daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 98 kcal | — |
| Protein | 8.1 g | 16% |
| Fat | 2.6 g | 3% |
| Carbohydrate | 11.7 g | 4% |
| Riboflavin | 0.38 mg | 29% |
| Calcium | 284 mg | 22% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.54 mcg | 22% |
| Phosphorus | 218 mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 363 mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 370 mg | 8% |
Eight grams of protein for under 100 calories is a good trade, and the calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B12 all arrive in useful quantity. Note the sodium, which is discussed below.
Buttermilk and Blood Pressure
There is a specific and rather elegant piece of research here.
Buttermilk is unusually rich in the milk fat globule membrane, the biological membrane that surrounds fat droplets in milk and ends up concentrated in buttermilk during churning. It carries bioactive proteins and sphingolipids that plain milk delivers far less of.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial published in the journal Nutrition tested what that does. Thirty-four men and women added 45 grams a day of buttermilk, or a nutrient-matched placebo, to their diet for four weeks each. Buttermilk significantly reduced systolic blood pressure by 2.6 mmHg and mean arterial pressure by 1.7 mmHg, and lowered plasma angiotensin I-converting enzyme by 10.9 percent—the same enzyme that a whole class of blood pressure medications is designed to block.
A 2.6 mmHg reduction will not replace medication for anyone who needs it. Spread across a population it is the kind of shift that matters, and achieving it with a glass of buttermilk is a reasonable thing to want.
Buttermilk and Cholesterol
The same research group ran a parallel trial on blood lipids with the same participants and the same design.
Buttermilk reduced total serum cholesterol by 3.1 percent and triglycerides by 10.7 percent, both statistically significant. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol also fell by 3.1 percent, but that result fell just short of statistical significance, so it is fairer to describe it as a suggestion than as a finding.
Modest numbers, honestly reported. Buttermilk is a helpful addition to a diet rather than a treatment for raised cholesterol.
Why Buttermilk Sits Better Than Milk
The most common reason people drink buttermilk is that it agrees with them, and there is a clear reason why.
Fermentation converts a portion of the lactose in milk into lactic acid, so there is less lactose left to digest. More usefully, the live bacteria that did the fermenting carry their own lactase enzyme, and that enzyme continues breaking down lactose inside the digestive tract. Reviews of fermented foods and lactose intolerance consistently find fermented dairy is better tolerated than milk by people who struggle with it.
The lactic acid also gives buttermilk its tang and makes it mildly acidic, which is part of why it feels cleansing after something rich or oily.
Takra: Buttermilk in Ayurveda
Chaas has a formal place in Ayurveda under the name takra, and the classical texts are unusually enthusiastic about it. It is described as light, digestive and kindling to agni, the digestive fire, and it is traditionally given after meals rather than before.
The customary preparation is not accidental either. Yogurt is diluted with water—often one part yogurt to two or three parts water—because takra is considered light where undiluted yogurt is considered heavy. Roasted cumin, black salt, ginger, curry leaves and coriander are added, each of them a traditional digestive in its own right.
Ayurveda also treats it as cooling, which is why chaas is a summer drink across most of India and why it is often avoided at night or during a cold.
The Sodium Question
At 363 mg a cup, commercial cultured buttermilk carries a meaningful amount of sodium—around a sixth of the daily limit—and home-made chaas usually has salt added on top of that.
For most people this is unremarkable. If you are managing blood pressure, there is an obvious tension between the modest benefit described above and the sodium arriving with it. The resolution is simple enough: make chaas at home so you control the salt, use black salt sparingly, and lean on cumin, ginger and curry leaves for flavor instead.
How to Make Chaas at Home
- Whisk half a cup of plain yogurt until completely smooth with no lumps.
- Add one to one and a half cups of cold water and whisk again. Thinner is more traditional than thicker.
- Add a pinch of roasted cumin powder and a small pinch of salt or black salt.
- Add grated ginger, chopped coriander, a few curry leaves or a little green chili if you like.
- Serve cold, after a meal rather than before it.
Use live-culture yogurt, since the bacteria are much of the point. Chaas is best made fresh and does not keep well.
Who Should Be Careful
- Anyone on a low-sodium diet, particularly with commercial buttermilk, where the sodium is already present before you add any
- Severe lactose intolerance. Buttermilk is better tolerated than milk but is not lactose-free
- Milk protein allergy, which is different from lactose intolerance—buttermilk is not suitable
- Kidney disease, given the potassium and phosphorus content, if you are on a restricted diet
- During a cold or cough, where Ayurveda traditionally advises against it, and where many people find it does not suit them
Where Buttermilk Fits in a Wellness Routine
Buttermilk is a good example of a traditional habit that holds up. It provides protein, calcium and B vitamins for around 100 calories, it is easier to digest than milk, and there is real if modest trial evidence behind its effect on blood pressure and blood lipids.
Taken as it has always been taken—a glass after lunch, lightly salted and spiced, in warm weather—it asks very little and gives back a reasonable amount.
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FAQs
Q: Is buttermilk good for digestion?
A: It is generally easier to digest than milk. Fermentation reduces the lactose, and the live bacteria carry their own lactase enzyme that keeps working in the gut. This is why fermented dairy is better tolerated than plain milk by most people who struggle with lactose.
Q: What is the difference between buttermilk and chaas?
A: Chaas is yogurt whisked with water and usually salted and spiced. Commercial buttermilk in the United States is low-fat milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Both are fermented, thinner and more acidic than milk, and both serve the same purpose after a meal.
Q: Can I drink buttermilk if I am lactose intolerant?
A: Many people with mild lactose intolerance manage buttermilk comfortably, since fermentation reduces the lactose and the bacteria help digest what remains. It is not lactose-free, so severe intolerance is a different matter.
Q: Does buttermilk lower blood pressure?
A: A randomized controlled trial found buttermilk reduced systolic blood pressure by 2.6 mmHg over four weeks. That is a small but genuine effect, and not a replacement for prescribed treatment.
Q: Is buttermilk fattening?
A: Low-fat cultured buttermilk is about 98 calories a cup with 8 grams of protein, which makes it one of the more filling drinks per calorie. Chaas made with water is lighter still.
Q: When is the best time to drink buttermilk?
A: After a meal, particularly a heavy or oily one, which is how it has traditionally been taken. Ayurveda regards it as cooling, so it suits warm weather and is usually avoided late at night.
Q: Is buttermilk good for weight loss?
A: It can help, mostly by being filling and high in protein for around 100 calories. Chaas diluted with water is lighter than a glass of milk or a sweetened drink, and works well as a replacement for one.
Q: Does buttermilk contain probiotics?
A: Traditionally fermented buttermilk and fresh chaas made from live-culture yogurt contain live bacteria. Whether a commercial carton does depends on the product, since some are pasteurized after fermentation, which kills the cultures.
Q: Can I drink buttermilk every day?
A: Yes, for most people. The main thing worth watching is sodium, particularly with commercial buttermilk or heavily salted chaas, if you are managing blood pressure.
Q: Is buttermilk better than yogurt?
A: They are close relatives serving different purposes. Yogurt is thicker, higher in protein per serving and more filling. Buttermilk and chaas are lighter, more hydrating and easier to drink after a large meal.
Sources
- United States Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Milk, buttermilk, fluid, cultured, lowfat (FDC ID 170874)
- Conway V, Couture P, Gauthier S, Pouliot Y, Lamarche B. Effect of buttermilk consumption on blood pressure in moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women. Nutrition, 2014. PMID 24206823
- Conway V, Couture P, Richard C, Gauthier SF, Pouliot Y, Lamarche B. Impact of buttermilk consumption on plasma lipids and surrogate markers of cholesterol homeostasis in men and women. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2013. PMID 23786821
- Ibrahim SA, Gyawali R, Awaisheh SS, et al. Fermented foods and probiotics: an approach to lactose intolerance. Journal of Dairy Research, 2021. PMID 34425920
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