Few glasses of wine a week could keep high blood pressure at bay - study
24 August 2021, 08:05
A few glasses of red wine a week can help keep high blood pressure at bay, a new study has suggested.
Lower blood pressure could be linked to a higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, tea and - to the delight of many - red wine.
Researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, working with Kiel University in Schleswig-Holstein, made the discovery in research involving 900 adults in Germany.
Although previous studies have shown flavonoids can improve heart health, the team said this was the first occasion in which data explained their link to lowering blood pressure.
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Researchers said they focused on the role played by microbes in the gut microbiome in metabolising flavonoids found in the likes of tea, apples and red wine, which then worked to bring down blood pressure.
The results have been published in Hypertension - an American Heart Association journal.
Professor Aedin Cassidy, chair and professor in nutrition and preventive medicine at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's, was the study's lead investigator.
"Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects, and this study provides evidence to suggest these blood-pressure-lowering effects are achievable with simple changes to the daily diet," he said.
However, moderation is important, with the research finding that three glasses of red wine per week - or 80 grams of berries a day - was best for keeping high blood pressure at bay.
