CHICAGO:
Eating raisins and soy appears to help
ward off high blood pressure, a key risk factor in heart disease, according to
two studies presented at a major US cardiology conference on Sunday.
Munching
on a handful of raisins three times a day helped people with slightly elevated
blood pressure lower their numbers after several weeks, said one of the studies
presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.
The
randomised clinical trial - believed to be the first formal measurement of
raisins' benefits on blood pressure - involved 46 people with a condition known
as pre-hypertension.
That
means their blood pressure ranged from 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury (mm
Hg) to 139 millimeters of mercury over 89 mm Hg, or just higher than normal.
Compared
to people who snacked on cookies or crackers, the raisin-eating group saw significant
drops in blood pressure, in some cases lowering the top number, or systolic
pressure, by 10.2, or seven percent over the 12-week study.
Researchers
are not sure exactly why the raisins work so well, but they think it may have
to do with the high level of potassium in the shrivelled, dried grapes.
"Raisins
are packed with potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure," said
lead investigator Harold Bays, medical director of Louisville Metabolic and
Atherosclerosis Research Centre.
"They
are also a good source of antioxidant dietary fibre that may favourably alter
the biochemistry of blood vessels, causing them to be less stiff, which in
turn, may reduce blood pressure."
A
handful of about 60 raisins contains a gram of fibre and 212 milligrams of
potassium. Raisins are often recommended as part of a high-fibre, low-fat diet
to reduce blood pressure.
A
second study on soy showed that daily intake of foods like tofu, peanuts and
green tea helped lower blood pressure in more than 5,100 white and African
American people aged 18-30.
The
study began in 1985 and was based on self-reported data about the food the
participants ate.
Those
who consumed about 2.5 or more milligrams of isoflavones, a key component in
soy, per day had significantly lower systolic blood pressure - an average of
5.5 mmHg lower - than those who ate less than 0.33 mg per day.
That
daily level should not be hard for most people to reach - a glass of soy milk
contains about 22 mg of isoflavones, or nearly 10 times the amount needed to
see an effect, according to the research.
"Our
results strongly suggest a blood pressure benefit for moderate amounts of
dietary isoflavone intake in young black and white adults," said Safiya
Richardson, a graduating medical student at Columbia University's College of
Physicians and Surgeons and the study's lead investigator.
"Our
study is the first to show a benefit in African Americans, who have a higher
incidence of high blood pressure, with an earlier onset and more severe
end-organ damage."
Eating
soy could be a way for people with slightly elevated blood pressure to avoid
progressing to high blood pressure, and potentially ward off the need to take
medications, she added.
"Any
dietary or lifestyle modification people can easily make that doesn't require a
daily medication is exciting, especially considering recent figures estimating
that only about one third of American hypertensives have their blood pressure
under control."
Soy and
the isoflavones it contains work by boosting enzymes that create nitric oxide,
which in turns helps to widen blood vessels and reduce blood pressure.
"Based
on our results and those of previous studies, we would encourage the average
adult to consider including moderate amounts of soy products in a healthy,
well-balanced diet to reduce the chances of developing high blood
pressure," Richardson said.
-
AFP/de
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