A study has shown that people who take a high flavanol diet such as berries, apples, and tea might suffer from lower blood pressure. Scientists have used objective measures of thousands of UK citizens’ diets. They have tried to establish a link between their diet and low blood pressure. The research has been done on more than 25000 people. Experts have looked for flavanol levels in their daily diet with the help of nutritional biomarkers such as indicators of diet intake and metabolism, which are present in the blood. Other studies more often rely on participants reporting their diet. The study has been published in Scientific Reports.
The research has found that the blood pressure difference among those who have a 10 percent lower intake of flavanol and those who have a 10 percent higher level of flavanol in their diet intake has been between 2 and 4 mmHg. It is similar to significant changes in blood pressure analyzed in people who eat a Mediterranean diet. This effect has been more prominent in people with high blood pressure. The lead author of the study Dr. Gunter Kuhnle has said that this is the first epidemiological research of this range, which has explored the link between a bioactive compound and health. The findings of this study are similar to previous dietary intervention studies. It says that the same results can be achieved with a regular high flavanol diet.
A team of experts from the University of Reading, Cambridge University, The University of California Davis, and Mars has examined the data of 25618 volunteers from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk Study. The international team has confirmed that a major difference has been seen in volunteers with high blood pressure, which means if people start taking a flavanol-rich diet, there will be a major drop in heart issues. Scientists have applied objective biomarkers of flavanol consumption at such a large scale in this study, which has helped in avoiding significant limitations, which have been standard with other studies in the past.
