Follow this diet to bring down your blood pressure

01/6Diet and blood pressure

In this fast-moving world, we all are suffering from some or the other health issue. The most common of all is, high blood pressure, and the credit goes to our diet and lifestyle. According to a recent study, flavanol-rich foods and drinks, including tea, apples, and berries, could lead to lower blood pressure. Scroll below to know more about it. (Image: istock)

02/6​The Study

According to a study published in Scientific Reports that studied the diet of more than 25,000 people in Norfolk, UK and compared what they ate with their blood pressure and it was found that the difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4 mmHg. In contrast to most other studies investigating links between nutrition and health, the researchers did not rely on study participants reporting their diet, but instead measured flavanol intake objectively using nutritional biomarkers -- indicators of dietary intake, metabolism or nutritional status that are present in our blood. (Image: istock)

03/6​The fact file

This is comparable to meaningful changes in blood pressure observed in those following a Mediterranean diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Notably, the effect was more pronounced in participants with hypertension. (Image: istock)

04/6​Expert’s take

Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading who led the study said: "Previous studies of large populations have always relied on self-reported data to draw conclusions, but this is the first epidemiological study of this scale to objectively investigate the association between a specific bioactive compound and health. We are delighted to see that in our study, there was also a meaningful and significant association between flavanol consumption and lower blood pressure.

"What this study gives us is an objective finding about the association between flavanols -- found in tea and some fruits -- and blood pressure. This research confirms the results from previous dietary intervention studies and shows that the same results can be achieved with a habitual diet rich in flavanols. In the British diet, the main sources are tea, cocoa, apples and berries. (Image: istock)

05/6​What’s more?

This is one of the largest ever studies to use nutritional biomarkers to investigate bioactive compounds. Using nutritional biomarkers to estimate intake of bioactive food compounds has long been seen as the gold standard for research, as it allows intake to be measured objectively. The development, validation and application of the biomarker was only possible because of the long-term commitment of all collaborators. In contrast to self-reported dietary data, nutritional biomarkers can address the huge variability in food composition. (Image: istock)

06/6​Final words

An international team from the University of Reading, Cambridge University, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Incorporated studied 25,618 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk study and found that the biggest difference was observed in participants with the highest blood pressure. This suggests if the general public increased its flavanol intake, there could be an overall reduction in cardiovascular disease incidence. (Image: istock)