Probiotics to Reduce Hypertension
Yoghurt and raspberries
A new study in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension suggests that probiotics (“good” bacteria) may also reduce blood pressure.
Probiotics are well known to benefit gut health, the immune system, and possibly even brain health. More recently, they have been shown to improve metabolic measures like cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. It is likely that it is through these pathways that probiotics also affect blood pressure, particularly in people who have high blood pressure to begin with.
The Study
The new analysis looked at nine earlier studies on the probiotics-blood pressure connection, which involved over 540 participants assigned to take probiotics for a period of at least eight weeks.
Results:
* At the end of the time, those who had been on probiotics had small reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure: Systolic blood pressure (the top number) was reduced by just over 3 mmHG; reduction in diastolic pressure (the lower number) was just over 2 mmHG.
* The reduction was greatest in people who had the higher readings to begin with
* Probiotics containing multiple strains of bacteria seemed to offer more benefit than those containing just one.
* The effect didn’t seem to exist if people consumed probiotics for less than eight weeks, which suggests the blood pressure-reducing effects may only be noticeable after a couple of month
Comment:
While the blood pressure reductions were small, they correspond to a decrease in mortality, which is always good.
You need to take probiotics (ideally several strains) for at least 8 weeks for benefits to occur.
Obtain probiotics from fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir and so on, and supplement with probiotics.
Source:
www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/07/21/probiotics-may-help-people-with-blood-pressure/
Tags: hypertension, blood pressure, probiotics