If you want to lower your blood pressure (BP) naturally, start eating more grapes. According to new research from the Cardioprotection Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan, grapes help lower blood pressure (BP) and improve heart function. At least it works in rats. Reuters reports that researchers are hopeful the findings may help people who have hypertension. "These findings support our theory that something within the grapes themselves has a direct impact on cardiovascular risk, beyond the simple blood pressure (BP)-lowering impact that we already know can come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables," lead study author Mitchell Seymour said in a statement. The findings, published in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, may help people with high blood pressure

Because black, green, and red grapes contain high levels of naturally occurring antioxidants, the fruits may reduce hypertension that can lead to heart failure, shows the study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.

Scientists including Mitchell Seymour, MS, report that flavonoids -- found in abundance in the skin, flesh, and seeds of grapes -- may be the substances that provide the beneficial effects they found in their study of laboratory rats.

The researchers studied the effects of regular table grapes -- a blend of green, red, and black fruits -- that were fed to rats in powdered form.

After 18 weeks, rats that ate the grape-enriched powder had lower blood pressure (BP), better heart function, and reduced inflammation throughout their bodies than comparable rodents that didn't receive the mixture. Rats on salty diets plus hydralazine, a blood pressure (BP) medicine, had lower blood pressure (BP), but their hearts weren't as protected from damage as the animals fed grapes.

"Although there are many natural compounds in the grape powder itself that may have an effect, the things that we think are having an effect against the hypertension may be the flavanoids – either by direct antioxidant effects, by indirect effects on cell function, or both. These flavanoids are rich in all parts of the grape - skin, flesh and seed, all of which were in our powder." Bolling explains.

You can get flavanoids from berries and cherries as well. The amount of grapes used is equivalent to a human eating 9 servings of grapes per day

The researchers say the study suggests that a grape-enriched diet can have broad effects on hypertension, but that more work is needed to see if the beneficial effects will apply to humans.

Food producers are keen to show the health benefits of their products. Studies sponsored by chocolate makers, almond and walnut producers have shown various heart benefits, including reducing inflammation in blood vessels and lowering the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

Grape powder comprised about three percent of the rats' diet. For humans, that would be about nine servings of grapes a day. One serving is about 15 grapes.

The California Table Grape Commission provided financial support for the study and supplied the grape powder. Other sponsors included the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

So far, most of the evidence on grape polyphenols comes from laboratory experiments and animal studies. However, a few studies support the disease-preventing benefits of grapes in humans. Studies in patients treated with grape seed extracts have shown improvements in blood flow and cholesterol levels. In other studies, drinking Concord grape juice has improved measures of blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease and lowered blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension.

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