Tea and coffee lower blood pressure

A large French retrospective analysis provides good news for caffeine lovers: investigators showed that drinking tea or coffee was associated with a small but statistically significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In addition, drinking tea and coffee was also associated with a significant reduction in pulse pressure and heart rate, although the heart-rate reductions were greater with tea.

Presenting the results at the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) 2013 Scientific Sessions, Dr Bruno Pannier (Centre d'Investigations Préventives et Cliniques, Paris, France) said that other studies have suggested a relationship between coffee and tea consumption and blood pressure, but these analyses haven't been conclusive. Some have suggested a benefit, while others found no relationship between tea/coffee consumption and blood pressure.

Presenting the data on 176 437 subjects aged 16 to 95 years of age who had a checkup at their center between 2001 and 2011, Pannier explained that the analysis was simply based on a questionnaire asking participants how much coffee or tea they drank per day. Individuals were classified into three groups: those who drank no coffee/tea, those who drank one to four cups, and those who drank more than four cups.

Overall, coffee is consumed more frequently than tea, although there were differences between the sexes, said Pannier. Men were more likely to drink coffee, while women were more commonly tea drinkers. Coffee consumption was also significantly associated with tobacco consumption, higher cholesterol levels, and higher scores on stress and depression indexes. Tea consumption, on the other hand, was associated with lower cholesterol levels but similarly high scores on the stress and depression measurements.

After adjustments that included these and other potential confounding variables, both coffee and tea consumption was associated with a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as other variables.

Blood Pressure Among Coffee Drinkers

Variable	None	1 to 4 cups	>4 cups	p (for trend)
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	127.9	126.7	125.5	<0.0001
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	76.0	76.0	75.7	0.02
Pulse pressure (mm Hg)	51.9	50.7	49.8	<0.0001
Heart rate (beats/min)	63.2	62.9	63.2	0.001

Blood Pressure Among Tea Drinkers

Variable	None	1 to 4 cups	>4 cups	p (for trend)
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	127.3	126.3	125.3	<0.0001
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	76.2	75.6	75.0	<0.0001
Pulse pressure (mmHg)	51.1	50.7	50.3	<0.0001
Heart rate (beats/min)	63.5	62.7	62.0	<0.0001

Speaking during the session, Pannier explained that the group did not differentiate between green, black, or herbal tea consumption, which is one of the limitations of the analysis. In addition, the questionnaire is not sophisticated enough to address estimates in the caffeine content of the coffee consumed in France.

That said, Pannier believes that tea is a major source of flavonoids in the diet, and these compounds can improve vasodilation. "The vasorelaxing compounds included in these beverages might be involved in these results, something that has been suggested by the experimental data," he said.


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806516?nlid=31779_1301&src=wnl_edit_dail&uac=129655SZ

Dietary nitrate in beet lowers blood pressure

A small, proof-of-principle study has demonstrated that the blood-pressure lowering effects of dietary nitrates--already documented in normotensives--are also seen in subjects with established hypertension[1].

Dr Amrita Ahluwalia (Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, UK) and colleagues have a track record of studying the interaction between dietary sources of biologically inert nitrate (NO3) and oral microflora, which converts the NO3 into bioactive nitrite (NO2). Circulating NO2 is known to cause vasodilation and lower blood pressure. Ahluwalia et al have previously proposed a pathway for nitrate-nitrite conversion, showing that beet juice, after coming into contact with human saliva, increases levels of plasma nitrate and nitrite, and leads to significant blood-pressure decreases in healthy volunteers.

In their latest study, published online April 15, 2013 in Hypertension, Ahluwalia and colleagues, including senior author Dr Suborno Ghosh (Queen Mary University of London, UK) turned again to beetroot, which, along with green leafy vegetables, has high concentrations of inorganic nitrate. In a mouse model of hypertension, investigators first established a threshold nitrite dose at which blood pressure decreased in the hypertensive mice, but not in normotensive control mice. At higher doses, however, both strains of mice saw blood-pressure decreases.

The authors then tested the beet-juice effects in 15 hypertensive, drug-naive patients, randomized to either 250ml of inorganic nitrate-rich beetroot juice or an equal volume of water. The "dose" of juice elevates nitrite levels approximately 1.5 fold--a rise previously shown to have no significant BP-lowering effect in subjects with normal blood pressure.

In patients who drank the juice, systolic blood pressure dropped by a mean of 11.2 mm Hg between three and six hours after consumption (vs 0.7 mm Hg in subjects who drank water). By 24 hours, clinic systolic BP remained significantly lower in the beet-juice group and roughly 7.2 mm Hg lower than baseline. Peak drop in diastolic BP also occurred within the first six hours, dropping by a mean of 9.6 mm Hg. Pulse-wave velocity also decreased in the beet-juice group, but not in the controls.

"Our observations . . . support the concept of dietary nitrate supplementation as an effective, but simple and inexpensive, antihypertensive strategy," the authors conclude.

Ahluwalia underscored the finding that nitrate in beets appears to be even more potent in hypertensives than in normotensives. "In this new study we used a dose that had little to no effect upon blood pressure in healthy volunteers; in contrast, this dose caused a substantial decrease in blood pressure (~12 mm Hg) in the patients, suggesting that dietary nitrate is more potent, and therefore potentially one needs less to produce an important blood-pressure–lowering effect."

She added: "It is also true that while we all know that eating fruits and vegetables is good for the cardiovascular system, exactly why this is the case is not certain. Studies have shown that of all the different fruit and vegetables out there it is the green leafy vegetables that provide the greatest protection against heart attacks and strokes. What is true about these vegetables is that they represent the major source of nitrate in our diet."

She also stressed the limitations of the study: while "impressive," the BP-lowering effects of beet juice consumption were measured only over 24 hours and in very small numbers. "Whether this effect can be sustained in the long term is not yet known, and further clinical studies that assess the effects over longer periods of time and in larger cohorts are needed," she said.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/782590?nlid=30483_1301&src=wnl_edit_dail

Energy drink consumption negatively affects heart health

Tossing back one to three energy drinks may result in more than just a buzz. A small-meta analysis found that immediately afterward, subjects had increased systolic blood pressure and, more troubling, they also had, on average, a 10-msec prolongation in their QT interval [1].

The study, by Dr Sachin Shah (University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA) and colleagues, was presented at EPI-NPAM 2013, the Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions.

"The blood-pressure finding falls in line with what we would suspect because of the caffeine content," Shah told heartwire . "The QT prolongation that we are seeing--I was very surprised with that. It's a bit of a wake-up call for us investigators to start studying it a bit more thoroughly, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later."

The group aimed to see how energy drinks affect heart health, given that these drinks, along with dietary supplements, are not regulated as stringently as new drugs that must meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety requirements, Shah said.

In a literature search, they identified seven observational and interventional trials that evaluated the impact of energy drinks on QT interval, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Three studies with a pooled sample of 93 subjects had QT/QTc data. Six studies with a pooled sample of 132 subjects had blood-pressure data, and seven studies investigated heart rate.

The patients, who were all young (aged 18 to 45) and healthy, underwent ECG and blood-pressure testing before and just after drinking one to three cans of energy drink--most commonly Red Bull, but also others such as Full Throttle and Meltdown RTD. An 8.4-oz can of Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine, compared with 35 mg of caffeine in a 12-oz Coke or about 100 mg of caffeine in an average cup of coffee, Shah said.

Shortly after drinking the energy drinks, the pooled subjects had a systolic blood pressure increase of an average 3.5 mm Hg. "If people are drinking energy drinks every day, that change in blood pressure could be very significant," Shah noted, adding that, as reported by heartwire , research on torcetrapibwas terminated because of a similar 3-mm-Hg increase in blood pressure.

People who don't normally drink coffee might have a heightened blood-pressure response to an energy drink, he added.

In a clinical setting, physicians are usually concerned if a patient has a QT-interval increase of about 30 msec from baseline, Shah noted. He acknowledges that this was a small study, but it did uncover a disturbing signal that needs to be further investigated.

Diastolic BP and heart rate increased nonsignificantly.

Although the 10-msec prolongation in the QT interval is a "small number, if it were consistently produced by a drug being considered by the FDA, the FDA would require more testing to make sure that there was not a liability for producing further, more serious, and life-threatening prolongation of the QT interval and associated arrhythmias," AHA spokesperson and past president Dr Gordon F Tomaselli (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD) commented.

Both Shah and Tomaselli pointed out that people who are older or who have underlying CVD might have even more heart-related side effects from energy drinks than the young, healthy people in this meta-analysis.

Nonalcoholic red wine reduces blood pressure

Nonalcoholic red wine was associated with a greater reduction in blood pressure than regular red wine in a new study.

The researchers, led by Dr Gemma Chiva-Blanch (University of Barcelona, Spain), conclude that the polyphenols found in red wine are the likely mediators of the blood-pressure reduction and that alcohol appears to weaken their antihypertensive effect.

They suggest that daily consumption of nonalcoholic red wine may be useful for the prevention of mild to moderate hypertension.

For the study, published online in Circulation Research on September 6, 2012, 67 men at high cardiovascular risk were randomized into three four-week treatment periods in a crossover clinical trial. Each participant followed a common background diet and also drank red wine (30 g alcohol/day), the equivalent amount of dealcoholized red wine, or gin (30 g alcohol/day). Blood pressure and plasma nitric-oxide (NO) concentration were measured at baseline and between each intervention. The men were moderate alcohol consumers before the study, but they abstained from drinking any alcohol for a two-week run-in period at the start of the study.

Results showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly after the dealcoholized red wine intervention, and these changes correlated with increases in plasma NO. During the red-wine phase, the men had a small reduction in blood pressure and a small increase in NO, while there was no change in blood pressure and a small reduction in NO while drinking gin.

The researchers note that although the blood-pressure reduction associated with nonalcoholic red wine was modest, reductions of this magnitude have been associated with a 14% decrease in coronary heart disease and 20% reduction in stroke risk.


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/770508?src=nldne

Purple potatoes lower blood pressure

A daily dose of purple potatoes served plain may help your heart. That is, if you steer clear of the deep fryer and fatty toppings.

A new study shows that people who ate plain purple potatoes cooked in the microwave twice a day for a month lowered their blood pressure by 3%-4% without gaining weight.

Researchers say the blood pressure-lowering effects are likely due to the high concentration of antioxidants found naturally in potatoes. Antioxidants protect your body from molecules called “free radicals” that can damage healthy cells.

But the frying process destroys the healthy substances in potatoes.

"Mention 'potato' and people think 'fattening, high carbs, empty calories.' In reality, when prepared without frying and served without butter, margarine, or sour cream, one potato has only 110 calories and dozens of healthful phytochemicals and vitamins,” researcher Joe Vinson, PhD, of the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, says in a news release. “We hope our research helps to remake the potato's popular nutritional image."

Researchers say potatoes contain a variety of potentially beneficial phytochemicals at similar levels as broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.

Potatoes’ surprising effect
In the study, 18 overweight and obese people with high blood pressure either ate six to eight small purple potatoes (about the size of a golf ball) with the skins twice daily or no potatoes, as a part of their normal diet for four weeks.

The results showed that people who ate purple potatoes lowered their diastolic (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) blood pressure by an average of 4.3% and systolic (the top number) by 3.5%.

Researchers say that blood pressure-lowering effect is nearly the same as with oatmeal.

Although the study used purple potatoes, which can increasingly be found in farmers markets, researchers say red and white potatoes may have similar effects.

They say the results are especially noteworthy because 14 of the 18 people in the study were already taking drugs to control their high blood pressure, yet still experienced a further lowering of their blood pressure. No other changes in body weight or cholesterol were found as a result of adding potatoes to the peoples’ diet.

Researchers say the potato is the most eaten vegetable in the U.S., but it’s gotten a bad rap.

"The potato, more than perhaps any other vegetable, has an undeserved bad reputation that has led many health-conscious people to ban them from their diet," Vinson says.

The results of the study were presented this week at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver.


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Source: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20110830/purple-potatoes-lower-blood-pressure

Black tea lowers blood pressure in small trial

Drinking black tea appears to reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, research shows [1]. Three daily cups, which provided approximately 400 mg/day of polyphenols, reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure between 2 to 3 mm Hg, according to researchers.

"A large proportion of the general population has blood pressure within the range included in this trial, making results of the trial applicable to individuals at increased risk of hypertension," write Dr Jonathan Hodgson (University of Western Australia, Perth) and colleagues in a research letter published in the January 23, 2012 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Black tea is a common source of flavonoids, which have been suggested to contribute to vascular health. The researchers point out that they have shown that flavonoids augment nitric-oxide status and reduce plasma concentration of endothelin-1, both of which could contribute to reductions in vascular tone and reduced blood pressure.

In their study, the group randomized 95 men and women with a daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure between 115 and 150 mm Hg to three cups of black tea daily or to placebo that matched the tea in flavor and caffeine content (approximately 96 mg of caffeine per day). There were no significant differences between patient groups at baseline.

Daily consumption of the tea resulted in a significantly lower 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with the control arm. The net-effect difference in systolic blood pressure at three and six months was -2.7 mm Hg and -2.0 mm Hg, respectively (p=0.006 at three months, p=0.05 at six months). Diastolic blood pressure was reduced 2.3 mm Hg and 2.1 mm Hg at three and six months, respectively (p<0.001 at three months, p=0.003 at six months).

"At a population level, the observed differences in BP would be associated with a 10% reduction in the prevalence of hypertension and a 7% to 10% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease," write Hodgson and colleagues. "Therefore, given the high prevalence of hypertension worldwide and the importance of hypertension as a risk factor for cardiovascular and total mortality, these findings have important public-health implications."


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Source:  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757432?sssdmh=dm1.753062&src=nldne

Coconut water reduces blood pressure

Photo credit: Pixomar

While doctors may be quick to write a prescription for blood pressure medication if your numbers are a little high, research shows coconut water is a highly effective natural remedy for lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

A study published in the West Indian Medical Journal looked at whether coconut water and mauby (a tropical drink made from buckthorn tree bark) were effective in treating high blood pressure. Researchers tested the blood pressure of twenty-eight individuals for two weeks without treatment, and then again for two weeks during treatment.

Participants were divided into four groups: one control group received only bottled drinking water; one group received coconut water; one received mauby; and the last was given a combination of coconut water and mauby. Each participant drank about 10 ounces of their assigned formula twice daily.

Although it's easy to tell the difference between drinking water and coconut water or mauby, none of the participants knew exactly what they were drinking or that it could have an effect on their blood pressure.

The findings revealed interesting results. In the coconut water group, 71 percent of participants showed a marked decrease in systolic blood pressure and 29 percent showed a significant decrease in diastolic pressure. The group drinking mauby or the combination of coconut water and mauby also showed significant improvement.

The group drinking ordinary water actually showed an increase in systolic pressure in 57 percent of the participants, with no significant change in diastolic pressure.

Coconut water: Nutrition and hydration
These results may be explained by coconut water's unique nutritional content. Coconut water is rich in potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. All of these nutrients are linked to health benefits, including lowering high blood pressure. They also make coconut water an excellent way to hydrate your body without depleting vital minerals. Many health-conscious athletes choose coconut water over commercial sports drinks to replenish water, minerals and glycogen lost during heavy exercise.

The best coconut water is found in fresh young coconuts, which are green in color. This coconut water is fresh and raw, retaining its natural benefits in the purest form. Young coconuts can often be found in health food stores and international markets, but of course are most readily available in tropical regions. Commercial packaged coconut water is available as well, but these products are processed and pasteurized, and should be considered inferior to fresh coconut water.


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Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034122_coconut_water_high_blood_pressure.html#ixzz1dfMTer3I

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More evidence chocolate lowers stroke risk

Chocolate lovers may have another reason to indulge. A new study shows that consuming chocolate on a regular basis may decrease stroke risk by 20%.

New data on women studied in the Swedish Mammography Cohort found an inverse association between chocolate consumption and total stroke, as well as a trend to reduction in both hemorrhagic stroke and cerebral infarction subtypes.

"Even consuming a relatively small amount of chocolate had quite a large impact on stroke risk," lead investigator Susanna Larsson, PhD, from the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a news release. "But women reporting the highest amount of chocolate consumption [66.5 g] — equivalent to about 2 chocolate bars a week — had a significantly reduced risk of stroke, suggesting that higher intakes are necessary for a potentially protective effect."

The results appear in the October 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Asked by Medscape Medical News to comment on the findings, Philip Gorelick, MD, from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, called the work "provocative."

"Interestingly, women with hypertension had a reduction of stroke risk with chocolate consumption that was not statistically significant, whereas those without hypertension had a statistically significant risk reduction for stroke," he noted. "Higher chocolate consumption seemed to be most beneficial in relation to stroke reduction."

The study included 33,372 women enrolled in the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort. Using a validated food-frequency questionnaire, the researchers asked participants to disclose how often on average they consumed chocolate and a variety of other foods during the previous year.

Investigators then stratified the women into categories ranging from never eating chocolate to those who indulged 3 or more times a week and examined the risk for stroke during a mean follow-up of 10 years, adjusting for major risk factors associated with stroke.

The researchers identified 1549 strokes. Of these, 1200 were cerebral infarctions, 224 were hemorrhagic strokes, and 125 were unspecified. Chocolate consumption was inversely associated with risk for total stroke, cerebral infarction, and hemorrhagic stroke.

"The difference between stroke subtypes was not significant, and deserves further study," Dr. Larsson said. "It does appear from the data that the association between chocolate consumption and stroke is expected to be stronger with higher concentration of cocoa in the chocolate."

Chocolate is thought to have cardiovascular benefits resulting from the flavonoids in cocoa that have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect the body from damage caused by free radicals and can suppress oxidation of low-density lipoprotein. Dark chocolate consumption has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, which is a strong risk factor for stroke, as well as improve endothelial and platelet function and heighten insulin resistance.

Indulgence in chocolate in moderation remains a reasonable approach.

Still, Dr. Larsson cautions that chocolate, and especially chocolate bars, are high in sugar, fat, and calories and should therefore be consumed in moderation. "Choose dark chocolate," she said, "which is usually lower in sugar and has higher flavonoid content."

On the surface, the results may be good news for women who are chocolate lovers, as they may be protected from stroke, Dr. Gorelick noted.

"One must keep in mind, however, that food-frequency studies focus on individual food components and provide useful information, but may not account for the totality of dietary experience." Overall, scores reflecting many dietary components may be a better indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease and other chronic disease, he suggests.

"For the time being, it is prudent to eat a heart-healthy diet, such as that recommended by the American Heart Association, and not get caught up in overeating chocolates in hopes of warding off strokes," he added. "Diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fats such as saturated fats are likely to be the best bet. Indulgence in chocolate in moderation remains a reasonable approach."

This study was supported by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research Committee for Infrastructure, and a research fellow grant from the Karolinska Institutet. The investigators and outside commentators have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.


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Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/752446?sssdmh=dm1.729594&src=nldne


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