Flavanol-rich Foods and Drinks Might Help to Lower Blood Pressure, Study Suggests

Feb, 2021 - By WMR

A new study led by the researchers of University of Reading have suggested that individuals who include flavanol-rich foods and drinks such as apples, berries, and tea in their diet are at low risk of developing high blood pressure. In the study, researchers investigated on the diet of over 25,000 UK residents and compared what they consumed with their blood pressure and evaluated flavanol intake utilizing nutritional biomarkers, which is an indicator of dietary intake, metabolism or nutritional status present in our blood. Researchers observed that there was difference of 2 and 4 mmHg in blood pressure among individuals with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and individuals with highest 10% of intake of flavanol.

Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading stated, “Previous studies of large populations have always relied on self-reported data to draw conclusions, but this is the first epidemiological study of this scale to objectively investigate the association between a specific bioactive compound and health. What this study gives us is an objective finding about the association between flavanols—found in tea and some fruits—and blood pressure.”

In the study, researchers involved 25,618 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk study and observed that the significant variance was seen in the participants with the highest blood pressure. This further indicates that if an individual increases its flavanol intake, there would be a drop in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Researchers concluded that the research findings highlights about benefits of dietary flavanols in health and nutrition, which aids in lowering blood pressure.