(NaturalNews) Men who consume a moderate amount of olive oil can significantly reduce systolic blood pressure levels, according to a new study appearing in the January volume of the Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona recruited 110 healthy men from Germany, Denmark and Finland -- non-Mediterranean countries -- and 45 Spanish and Italian men, from Mediterranean regions. The researchers believed that the non-Mediterranean men had not regularly consumed olive oil, while the Mediterranean men had.
Both the non-Mediterranean and the Mediterranean men were instructed to include 25 mL per day of one of three similar types of olive oil for the duration of the study, which was comprised of three three-week periods of supplementation separated by two two-week periods without supplementing.
By the study's end, the researchers found that blood levels of oleic acid -- a monounsaturated fatty acid -- were 2 to 3 percent higher in the men from non-Mediterranean countries, while the Mediterranean men's oleic acid levels did not significantly change.
In addition, the non-Mediterranean men's systolic blood pressure levels dropped three percent after olive oil supplementation.
"The results of this study suggest that a moderate consumption of olive oil may be used as an effective tool to reduce SBP (systolic blood pressure) of healthy men to do not typically consume a Mediterranean diet," wrote the researchers, who were led by Isabel Bondia-Pons.
Bondia-Pons and colleagues have called for further research into the effects of dietary modifications on blood pressure, particularly studies of longer duration.
###
Related Articles
• Blaming dietary sodium for high blood pressure is too simplistic; the real problem may be mineral deficiencies
• Making Multiple Lifestyle Changes is Beneficial, Achievable in Lowering High Blood Pressure (press release)
• Studies show reishi mushrooms benefit people stricken with a variety of ailments, from high blood pressure to AIDS
• Higher Intake of Vegetable Protein and Lower Blood Pressure Levels (press release)
• Higher blood pressure associated with decline in walking ability in older persons (press release)
 |
Additional Resources:
blood pressure
olive oil
healing foods
|
Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us
Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/021427.html
Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.
|
 |
 |
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE
Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber!
- Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more.
- Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.
|
|
 |
 |
Recommended Special Report:
Seven Words that can Change the World
by Joseph R. Simonetta
Read this special report now...
"Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com
|
More on NaturalNews.com:
• Streaming Health Ranger Videos
• CounterThink Cartoons
• FREE Special Reports
• Podcasts
|
 |
|