Lower Your Blood Pressure with Vegetable Proteins

Posted by Lara Endreszl on 11 July 2009
From: healthnews

As if you need one more reason to jam that grocery cart full of fresh produce, another study produces results that just reinforce what mama always told us: veggies are good for you. Not only are those vegetables cold and crispy and perfect for a summer day, indulging in what is known as “vegetable proteins” can help to stave off heart disease and lower your blood pressure.

Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago along with a team from the U.K. reviewed data from 4,680 patients living in the U.K., U.S., China, and Japan between the ages of 40 and 59. By finding and isolating an amino acid found in vegetable proteins, they found that a diet rich in this amino acid translates to lowered blood pressure.

This amino acid, called glutamic acid, is found in foods like whole grain rice, pasta, tofu and beans. As of now, the researchers could not indicate whether or not supplements made of glutamic acid would perform in the same way as eating foods that provide this amino acid to the body.

The study, which was published in the recent edition of a journal called Circulation, concluded that a small decrease in blood pressure can be aided by consuming 5 percent more glutamic acid in your diet. This diet recommendation is approved by the American Heart Association, as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

While a 5 percent drop may seem small in other facets of life, according to your blood pressure, the overall percentage can reap a large benefit. According to the American Heart Association—who helped publish the findings—an average drop of 1 to 3 units may seem insignificant but if every American lowered their blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) by this amount, over 26,000 lives could be saved from death caused by heart disease or stroke.

One of the traits of glutamic acid is that it enhances the flavor of whole grains, pastas, and vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. The recommended “5-a-day” rule is supposed to protect against heart disease and the researchers think glutamic acid is the reason.

Northwestern University Professor, Jeremiah Stamler, a preventative medicine specialist hopes his study will stress the importance of a regular, healthy diet. Dr. Ian Brown, an epidemiologist and co-author of the study from Imperial College in London, says that while the link may be there, the next step is to finding out how the link between glutamic acid affects blood pressure and overall health in order to proceed positively, “Our new research suggests glutamic acid may partly explain the link between vegetable protein and lower blood pressure. The next steps will be to reproduce this finding in other studies, and investigate how glutamic acid might exert an effect on blood pressure.”

As with most emerging research, follow up studies are necessary to prove the efficacy of the findings and new dietary rules could follow suit. Keep in mind that the “5-a-day” rule with vegetables is a recommendation and although vegetable proteins are important and helpful for slightly lowering at-risk blood pressures, an excess of whole grains and pastas in pursuit of this goal could be unhealthy and all diets should be nutritionally balanced.