Science and Supplement News: Grapeseed Extract to Lower Blood Pressure

Grapeseed extract may reduce both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. A small study at the University of California at Davis tested grapeseed extract among those with metabolic syndrome, a diagnosis given to patients who have a combination of high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood sugar estimated to affect 40 percent of American adults. Only 24 men and women participated in the study. They were divided into three groups of eight. One group received 150 milligrams of grapeseed extract daily; the second group got 300 milligrams; the third group took a placebo. After one month, blood pressure dropped among both groups taking the grapeseed extract. And LDL (“bad”) cholesterol also dropped in the 300 milligrams group. The cholesterol reductions were greatest among patients whose cholesterol was highest at the outset of the study. The researchers are now testing grapeseed extract on pre-hypertension patients, those with systolic (top number) pressure of 120-139 mmHg, and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg.

Sources:
http://www.foodconsumer.org/
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/519079/