Eating just one cup of blueberries a day can help stabilize blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis, both of which are linked to heart disease. “Research shows that regular consumption of blueberries can delay the development of prehypertension into hypertension, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Sarah Johnson, an expert from Florida State University. said.
In the 8-week survey, female postmenopausal female volunteers were divided into 2 groups: group 1 added 22 grams of dried blueberry powder (equivalent to 1 cup of fresh blueberries) and group 2 used 22 gr placebo powder. As a result, group 1 experienced an average decrease of 5% in systolic blood pressure and 6.3% reduction in diastolic blood pressure. In addition, group 1 also reduced an average of 6.5% of atherosclerosis. Experts also found that nitric oxide, a biomarker in the blood, was associated with vasodilation, an increase of 68.5%. Increased nitric oxide content helps explain the drop in blood pressure.
“Our findings show that adding blueberries to the diet can minimize the negative effects on cardiovascular health that are more likely to occur during menopause,” Johnson added. The research was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
