Blueberries have long been known as a “superfood” because they contain high levels of antioxidants which help prevent heart disease and cancer.
But a new study shows that they lower blood pressure as much as prescription drugs. And the effect is almost instant… They improve blood vessel function right after you eat them.
The research was conducted by a team from King’s College London. They recruited 40 subjects. At random, they gave some of the volunteers a daily drink that contained seven ounces (200 grams) of blueberries. They gave the remaining subjects a control drink with no blueberries.[1]
Over a month’s time, the researchers monitored the volunteers in three ways:
- The chemical content of their blood and urine.
- Their blood pressure.
- The flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of their brachial arteries. This gauges how wide the artery expands when blood flow increases. It’s an important heart disease marker.
These were the most important findings:
- The blueberry group had improved blood vessel function just two hours after consuming the drink.
- The blueberry group’s systolic (upper number) blood pressure dropped by average of 5 points. That’s comparable to the effect of some blood pressure medications.
Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos was the lead researcher. She said that if the changes in blood vessel function seen in the blueberry group were “sustained for a person’s whole life, it could reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by up to 20%.”[2]
Get on the Blueberry Bandwagon
Add blueberries to your daily diet. It can be difficult and expensive to find them year round.
But frozen blueberries actually have more antioxidants than fresh, according to a 2015 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.[3]
Blueberry supplements are another option. Just a couple capsules are the equivalent of a large quantity of blueberries.
Editor’s Note: When it comes to blood pressure and just about anything else you can think of, Big Pharma wants you to believe that drugs are the answer. Discover the truth in our special report, The Top 10 Dangerous Pharmaceutical Drugs—And Their Natural Alternatives. It’s an important read for you and your family.
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[1]https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/gerona/glz047/5321875
[2]https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/kcl-ti022019.php
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632771/