Grab This Cereal Topper for Better Blood Pressure
Hot or cold, cereal always tastes better with a little something on top. And for better blood pressure, the topper you should choose is blueberries.
In a recent study of people with health conditions, those who had freeze-dried blueberries added to their diets every day experienced significant improvements in both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure after just 8 weeks.
Blue-Blooded Benefits
Researchers think that nutrients in blueberries may help soften blood pressure by increasing body levels of enzymes that relax blood vessels. These enzymes also support healthy endothelium -- those fragile cells that line blood vessel walls. And the blueberry lovin' may be particularly helpful for people with sub-par health. In the study, all of the men and women were obese (body mass index of 30 or more) and had metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of health risk factors that can lead to diabetes or heart disease. Get more antioxidants from your blueberries.
Taking the Pressure Off
The amount of blueberries the people in the study consumed was pretty high -- the equivalent of over 2 cups of fresh berries per day. But blueberries aren't the only way to get some blood-pressure-friendly berry nutrition into your diet. Similar benefits have also been seen in studies with cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, and lingonberries as well as other fresh fruit. So get your winter fruit on!
In a recent study of people with health conditions, those who had freeze-dried blueberries added to their diets every day experienced significant improvements in both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure after just 8 weeks.
Blue-Blooded Benefits
Researchers think that nutrients in blueberries may help soften blood pressure by increasing body levels of enzymes that relax blood vessels. These enzymes also support healthy endothelium -- those fragile cells that line blood vessel walls. And the blueberry lovin' may be particularly helpful for people with sub-par health. In the study, all of the men and women were obese (body mass index of 30 or more) and had metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of health risk factors that can lead to diabetes or heart disease. Get more antioxidants from your blueberries.
Taking the Pressure Off
The amount of blueberries the people in the study consumed was pretty high -- the equivalent of over 2 cups of fresh berries per day. But blueberries aren't the only way to get some blood-pressure-friendly berry nutrition into your diet. Similar benefits have also been seen in studies with cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, and lingonberries as well as other fresh fruit. So get your winter fruit on!
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