Blueberry Compound Helps to Lower Blood Pressure

Found abundantly in blueberries, pterostilbene is a potent antioxidant compound for which studies are yielding mounting evidence relating to its potential role in cardiometabolics.  Daniel Riche, from the University of Mississippi (Mississippi, USA), and colleagues enrolled 60 men and women, average age 54 years, who had elevated cholesterol levels. The mean average systolic blood pressure was 127.4 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure 79.3 mmHg, at the study’s start.  Participants either received daily doses of pterostilbene (250 mg), pterostilbene (100 mg) plus grape extract (200 mg), or placebo, for 8 weeks.  Among the subjects who received pterostilbene only, systolic blood pressure dropped by 7.8 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure dropped by 7.3 mmHg.