(HealthDay News) — An apple a day won’t necessarily keep the doctor away, but three kiwis just might help, at least according to a small study that showed that the brown, fuzzy fruit may lower blood pressure levels.
Men and women with mildly high blood pressure who ate three kiwi fruits a day for eight weeks had systolic blood pressure levels that were 3.6 millimeters of mercury lower than those of volunteers who ate an apple a day. Systolic blood pressure is the upper number in a blood pressure measurement.
Kiwis may be small, but they pack a lot of nutrition in their green flesh. They are rich in lutein, a potent antioxidant, and this may be what is responsible for their blood pressure-lowering powers, said researchers who were led by Mette Svendsen of Oslo University Hospital in Norway. The study was to be presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.
Cardiologists were quick to caution that there is no single magic food or ingredient that is the key to heart health, but they all agreed that kiwi may have a place in the five daily servings of fruit and vegetables that are currently recommended as part of a heart-healthy diet.
The new study included 50 men and 68 women with an average age of 55 who were randomly assigned to eat three kiwis or one apple a day for eight weeks. Participants had blood pressure levels in the mildly elevated range of 128/85 when the study began. A blood pressure reading that is less than 120/80 is considered ideal. They changed nothing in their diet other than adding the fruit. Researchers measured blood pressure via 24-hour ambulatory monitoring, which is thought to be more precise than measuring it during a single point in time.
The Oslo University Hospital funded the study.
“Three kiwi a day improved 24-hour blood pressure more than an apple a day,” the researchers concluded.
Thanks for your advice for eating 3 kiwi fruits per day for one week reduce BP. Like Apple, grapes fruits
will also reduce BP, only think sugar patient should not grapes. Eating guwa fruit is also good for BP & Sugar.
what is a guwa fruit?
Surely they knew already that high consumption of raw fruits and vegetables helps blood pressure?
VERY GOOD NEWS.
I GOT A QUESTION TO ASK YOU.
MY BP IN THE MORNINGS IS 160/95
IN THE EVENINGS IT IS 140/80.
IS IT POSSIBLE?.THEN HOW nd why/.
Many thanks to the OSLO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL authority and the researchers for finding out the simple fruit which God gifted for mankind to live healthy without BP.
I wish their good health without BP and also wish more success in future study. Pls inform the full particulars of that fruits and also the way how people can get easily worldwide.
why is this a news flash?! eating fruits and veggies always lowers your BP unless it is systemic!