Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Daily Glass Of Beet Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure, Study Shows

Daily Glass Of Beet Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure, Study Shows: "ScienceDaily
2008.02.06
"Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease...blood pressure was reduced within just 1 hour of ingesting beetroot juice, with a peak drop occurring 3-4 hours after ingestion. Some degree of reduction continued to be observed until up to 24 hours after ingestion...The nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva, by bacteria on the tongue, into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed, and in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite. The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation..."

And...

Consumption Of Small Amounts Of Dark Chocolate Associated With Reduction In Blood Pressure: "ScienceDaily (Jul. 5, 2007) — Eating about 30 calories a day of dark chocolate was associated with a lowering of blood pressure, without weight gain or other adverse effects, according to a study in the July 4 issue of JAMA."

Cocoa, But Not Tea, May Lower Blood Pressure ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2007)

Cocoa Intake Linked To Lower Blood Pressure, Reduced Risk Of Death: ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2006)"Cocoa has been linked to cardiovascular health benefits since at least the 18th century, but researchers are just beginning to collect scientific evidence for these claims, according to background information in the article. Cocoa is now known to contain chemicals called flavan-3-ols, which have been linked to lower blood pressure and improved function of the cells lining the blood vessels."

DogVitals powerful antioxidant supplement for dogs - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cocoa contains relatively high amounts of copper, which has been linked to cognitive decline when combined with a high fat diet. Did that study of the Kuni look at dementia risk? Also how much copper is actually in cocoa products?

David Humphrey said...

Dark chocolate, on ave., contains about .75mg of copper per 3oz. National Research Council now recommends about 3 mg per day as being a healthy amount. This is considerably higher than the older RDA setting. Copper is crucial esp. for endogenous antioxidants associated with longevity esp. Cu-Zn-SOD. Copper is usually associated in research with cognitive benefits, however research in 2006 out of Rush University Med. Cent. found that people who ate diets high in saturated and trans fats and high in copper, were associated with a significantly faster decrease in cognitive decline than ave.. The take home message is that copper at or around the RDA is almost always beneficial to most people... unless you're eating a diet high in sat./trans fat diet. In the Harvard study "Brain Disorders exc. stroke" were assessed. Kuna were marginally lower across the board. There are a variety of different causes for a variety of dementias. There has yet to be a comprehensive study looking at cocoa and dementia(s). However strokes, and mini strokes are known to hasten some forms of dementia and cocoa reduces the risk of stroke considerably. There is also some hope, yet to be proven, that the increased circulation in the brain via cocoa will reduce the chances of and possibly the severity of Alzheimer's.

More research needed... as always.
dh