It’s not a surprise that eating healthy, nutritious food can help to lower blood pressure.
However, a new study has shed light on which foods, in particular, play a role – and it’s good news for those partial to a humble cuppa.
New research has found that diets which feature flavanol-rich foods and drinks – such as tea, apples and berries – could lower blood pressure.
For those not clued-up, flavanols are naturally occurring compounds found in plants and are known to be associated with lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The study, which was published in Scientific Reports, looked at the diet of more than 25,000 people in Norfolk and compared what they ate with their blood pressure.
But unlike other studies which have gone previously, this one did not record their diet as whole, only their flavanol intake.
Results showed that there was a significant association between flavanol consumption and lower blood pressure. Researchers found the difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavan-3-ol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4mmHg.
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading who led the study, commented: ‘What this study gives us is an objective finding about the association between flavanols — found in tea and some fruits — and blood pressure.
‘This research confirms the results from previous dietary intervention studies and shows that the same results can be achieved with a habitual diet rich in flavanols. In the British diet, the main sources are tea, cocoa, apples and berries.’
What’s more, the effects were more noticeable in participants with hypertension and improvements were also stronger in women – although Professor Gunter Kuhnle says it’s unclear why.
Do you have a story to share?
Get it touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.
MORE : How to deal with second wave anxiety as lockdown looms
MORE : Why baking bread can help calm anxiety
Share this with