Published On : Sat, May 7th, 2016

Drinking this fruit’s juice will help you tackle high blood pressure

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cherry juice
With the stressful lives we lead, high blood pressure or hypertension has become a common problem. However, a new study has revealed that intake of cherry juice can significantly reduce high blood pressure, particularly in males with early hypertension, to a level comparable to that achieved by medication.

If left untreated, high blood pressure can increase the risk of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke or dementia.

For the study, the team worked with fifteen participants who were displaying early hypertension with blood pressure readings of at least 130/90 mmHg, meaning that they were at higher risk of experiencing heart related problems.

They were given either 60ml of a Montmorency cherry concentrate or the same amount of a commercially available fruit-flavoured cordial. Blood pressure and blood samples were taken before the cherry concentrate was consumed and blood pressure was measured on an hourly basis thereafter.

When phenolic acids, protocatechuic and vanillic–compounds present within the cherry concentrate–reached their peak levels in the plasma, systolic blood pressure showed greatest improvement.

The findings showed that men who drank tart Montmorency cherry juice–a variety of sour cherry–saw a reduction of seven millimeter of mercury (mmHg) in their blood pressure, within three hours of consuming the drink.

This reduction is comparable to the level achieved by anti-hypertensive drugs, the researchers said.
“The magnitude of the blood pressure lowering effects we observed was comparable to those achieved by a single anti-hypertensive drug and highlights the potential importance that Montmorency cherries could have in the effective management of high blood pressure,” said lead author Karen Keane, lecturer at Northumbria University in Britain.

“Raised blood pressure is the leading cause of deaths from heart diseases, yet relatively small reductions in blood pressure can have a large impact on mortality rates,” Keane added in the paper published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.