Healthwealthhappinessfreedom: Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: How blueberries cut the risk of high blood pressure

HOW BLUEBERRIES CUT THE RISK OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Health is boosted by just one blueberry punnet a week

Saturday January 15,2011

By Jo Willey

Have your say(0)

EATING two handfuls of blueberries a week can slash the risk of developing high blood pressure which leads to strokes and heart disease, new research has found.

High blood pressure, or hyper- tension, affects at least 10 million people in the UK.

The latest findings, published next month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show that bio-active compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension.

Compared with people who did not eat blueberries, those eating at least one serving a week – the equivalent of a couple of handfuls – reduced their risk of developing the condition by 10 per cent.

EXPRESS CASINO: GET A FREE BONUS OF UP TO £150 NOW!

The superfood has already been found to fight hardening of the arteries, which can cause a heart attack or stroke, as well as helping to guard against diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Anthocyanins belong to the family of compounds called flavonoids and are also found in blackcurrants, raspberries, aubergines and blood orange juice.

The research, carried out by the University of East Anglia and America’s Harvard University, is the first large study to investigate the effect of different flavonoids on hypertension.

The scientists studied 134,000 women and 47,000 men over a period of 14 years. None of the participants had hypertension at the start of the study.

Subjects were asked to complete health questionnaires every two years and their dietary intake was assessed every four years. Incidence of newly diagnosed hypertension during the 14-year period was then related to consumption of various flavonoids.

During the study 35,000 participants developed hypertension.

SEARCH UK NEWS for:

The dietary information identified tea as the main contributor of flavonoids, with apples, orange juice, blueberries, red wine and strawberries also providing important amounts.

When the researchers looked at the relation between individual subclasses of flavonoids and hypertension, they found participants consuming the highest amounts of anthocyanins (found mainly in blueberries and strawberries in this US-based population) were eight per cent less likely to be diagnosed with hypertension than those consuming the lowest amounts. The effect was strongest for blueberry rather than strawberry consumption.

Professor Aedin Cassidy of the University of East Anglia, said: “Our findings are exciting and suggest that an achievable dietary intake of anthocyanins may contribute to the prevention of hypertension.”