Could This Popular Drink Lower Your BP reading?

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August 27, 2019

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Resveratrol in Drinks like Red Wine

HIGH blood pressure could be lowered by a molecule in a certain popular beverage, a new study has claimed. Should those with the condition try to lower their bp reading by enjoying the drink?

High blood pressure could be lowered by red wine, a recent study published in the medical journal Circulation revealed. A molecule found in red wine causes a drop in high blood pressure. Resveratrol is a compound found in the skin of certain fruits, such as grapes, that acts as self-defense against insects, bacteria, and fungi. It is also found in peanuts. The compound has long been touted as a panacea to several diseases including cancer, dementia, and heart and circulatory diseases but these claims are mooted.

The study

In the study, mice with induced high blood pressure of 320mg/kg were fed resveratrol for 15 days.
Compared with mice eating a normal diet, the blood pressure of mice fed resveratrol in high quantities experienced a considerable drop in their blood pressure.
The finding offers hope that resveratrol could someday play a role in developing a new class of high blood pressure drugs.

The study is far from conclusive because they did not experiment on human subjects.

Commenting on the finding, Associate Medical Director Professor Metin Avkiran of the British Heart Foundation said: “Unfortunately, this isn’t the all-clear to open a bottle of merlot. To get the human equivalent dose of resveratrol used here, you’d need to drink an impossible amount of red wine every day.”

According to Prof Roger Corder, Emeritus Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, Queen Mary University of London, it would be the equivalent of consuming more than 3000 liters of wine.

It is a significant finding nonetheless, as Avkiran explained: “This study reveals the surprising way in which resveratrol works and opens up the possibility of new blood pressure drugs which work in a similar way. The findings bring us a step closer to tackling this ‘silent killer’ which puts people at risk of having a devastating stroke or heart attack.”

Making the following lifestyle changes to lower high blood pressure:

Cut your salt intake to less than 6g (0.2oz) a day, which is about a teaspoonful – find out how you can reduce the amount of salt in your diet
Eat a low-fat, balanced diet – including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables; get tips on eating more healthily
Be active – read some tips about getting more exercise
cut down on alcohol – get tips on cutting down, including downloading a drinks diary and keeping track of your drinking
Lose weight – find out what your ideal weight is using the BMI healthy weight calculator and read advice about losing weight if you’re overweight
Drink less caffeine – found in coffee, tea, and cola
Stop smoking – get help quitting
Get at least 6 hours of sleep a night – read some tips for getting to sleep

By making these changes early on you may be able to avoid needing medicines.

Finally, Keep Your Health on Track

Healthy life needs a healthy diet. It’s never too late to start adopting healthy habits. It’s nice to know if the changes you’re making are working, and now more than ever, it’s easy to measure your changes Keep track of your progress with a smart heart health tracker like MOCAArm and MOCACuff.