Eating two handfuls of Acai berries every week can cut the risk of symptoms from high blood pressure, which leads to strokes and heart disease, a new study has found.
High blood pressure( or hypertension) affects at least 10 million people in the UK.
The latest discoveries show that bioactive compounds in acai berries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension.
Compared with people who did not eat acai berries, those eating at least two serving a week reduced their risk of developing the condition by 10 %.
The superfood has already been found to fight hardening of the arteries, which can cause a heart attack or stroke, as well as helping to guard against serious diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Anthocyanins belong to the family of compounds called flavonoids and are also found in blueberries, raspberries, red onion and blood orange juice.
The research, conducted by the University of East Anglia and Harvard University, is the first large study to investigate the effect of different flavonoids on hypertension.
The scientists studied 133,000 women and 48,000 men over a period of 12 years. None of the participants had hypertension at the start of the research.
Subjects were asked to complete health questionnaires every two years and their dietary intake was assessed every 3 years. Incidence of newly diagnosed hypertension during the 12 year period was then related to consumption of various flavonoids.
During the study, 36,000 participants developed hypertension.
The dietary information identified juice as the main contributor of flavonoids, with acai berries, apples, orange, red wine and blueberries also providing important amounts.
Aedin Cassidy of the University of East Anglia said: “Our discoveries are exciting and we suggest that an achievable dietary intake of anthocyanins may contribute to lowering high blood pressure.”
In case you are looking to have a healthy lifestyle then you would have definitely come across the name of Acai berry. There are millions who have been harvesting the benefits of this super-fruit. There are various benefits associated with this fruit which can help in enhancing both the physical and your mental health. Some of the benefits are listed below for your reference.
Have you ever felt the need to boost up your system? Do you recognize yourself among those who always feel themselves dull and in need of more action? Nobody should close herself/himself within the walls of the soul. It is a fact that imprisonment (both literally and figuratively) is a common threat to many of those who struggle with overweight.
Superfoods are foods that have marvelous health improvement effects, such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure. That is to say, they have several benefits to them that other foods don’t have. Acai Berry is one of those superfoods. It provides energy that helps you to lose weight faster, a high level of antioxidants, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps to prevent several serious diseases like heart attack. However, Acai Berry is not the only superfood, but is part of a family of superfoods. There are several that you can take advantage of.
After the media recognition received from CBS and ABC, everyone has started wondering if acai berry really leads to natural weight loss. If we do not take up sufficient research we may end up buying a supplement that offers no significant benefits to us.
