Apples, Berries, and Tea: Flavanols Effective for BP Lowering?

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Apples, Berries, and Tea: Flavanols Effective for BP Lowering?

A high intake of dietary flavanols, compounds found in plant-based foods, is associated with significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, new research shows.

The results reinforce the message that dietary interventions, especially those that emphasize fruits and vegetables, “can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure,” lead author Gunter Kuhnle, Dr rer nat, professor of nutrition and food science, University of Reading, UK, told Medscape Medical News.

However, the study did not show a statistically significant association between biomarkers of flavanol intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence or mortality.

The study was published online October 21 in Scientific Reports.

Kuhnle likened the reduction in blood pressure from high flavanol intake to what could be achieved with dietary interventions such as the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, or the low-salt Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

The study results “clearly show an inverse association” between flavan-3-ols and blood pressure, and “thereby contribute to the data available to investigate a causal effect,” the investigators note.

In addition to cutting back on sodium and decreasing body weight, increasing flavanol intake “is yet another strategy” to keep systolic and diastolic blood pressure below the recommended 120/80 mm Hg, said Kris-Etherton.

Eating more plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts “aligns with American Heart Association current dietary recommendations,” said Kris-Etherton.

And although the literature suggests flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, “now we’re learning they play a role in controlling blood pressure,” she said.

“We all know that fruits and vegetables are high in potassium, which has a blood pressure-lowering effect, and are also high in dietary nitrates and nitrites, which play a role in achieving healthy endothelium and healthy vasculature, but now we know that fruits and vegetables and plant foods have yet another compound that helps achieve healthy blood pressure, and that’s the flavanols.”

Sci Rep. Published October 21, 2020. Full text

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