TY - JOUR
T1 - Daily blueberry consumption improves blood pressure and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension
T2 - A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
AU - Johnson, Sarah A.
AU - Figueroa, Arturo
AU - Navaei, Negin
AU - Wong, Alexei
AU - Kalfon, Roy
AU - Ormsbee, Lauren T.
AU - Feresin, Rafaela G.
AU - Elam, Marcus L.
AU - Hooshmand, Shirin
AU - Payton, Mark E.
AU - Arjmandi, Bahram H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
PY - 2015/3/1
Y1 - 2015/3/1
N2 - Background: Postmenopausal women have a high prevalence of hypertension and often develop arterial stiffness thereby increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Although antihypertensive drug therapies exist, increasing numbers of people prefer natural therapies. Invivo studies and a limited number of clinical studies have demonstrated the antihypertensive and vascular-protective effects of blueberries. Objective: To examine the effects of daily blueberry consumption for 8 weeks on bloodpressure and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension. Design: This was an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants/setting: Forty-eight postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension recruited from the greater Tallahassee, FL, area participated. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 22 g freeze-dried blueberry powder or 22 g control powder. Main outcome measures: Resting brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressures were evaluated and arterial stiffness was assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. C-reactive protein, nitric oxide, and superoxide dismutase were measured at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Statistical analyses performed: Statistical analysis was performed using a split plot model of repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: After 8 weeks, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (131±17 mm Hg [. P<0.05] and 75±9 mm Hg [. P<0.01], respectively) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (1,401±122 cm/second; P<0.01) were significantly lower than baseline levels (138±14 mm Hg, 80±7 mm Hg, and 1,498±179 cm/second, respectively), with significant (. P<0.05) group×time interactions in the blueberry powder group, whereas there were no changes in the group receiving the control powder. Nitric oxide levels were greater (15.35±11.16 μmol/L; P<0.01) in the blueberry powder group at 8 weeks compared with baseline values (9.11±7.95 μmol/L), whereas there were no changes in the control group. Conclusions: Daily blueberry consumption may reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness, which may be due, in part, to increased nitric oxide production.
AB - Background: Postmenopausal women have a high prevalence of hypertension and often develop arterial stiffness thereby increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Although antihypertensive drug therapies exist, increasing numbers of people prefer natural therapies. Invivo studies and a limited number of clinical studies have demonstrated the antihypertensive and vascular-protective effects of blueberries. Objective: To examine the effects of daily blueberry consumption for 8 weeks on bloodpressure and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension. Design: This was an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants/setting: Forty-eight postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension recruited from the greater Tallahassee, FL, area participated. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 22 g freeze-dried blueberry powder or 22 g control powder. Main outcome measures: Resting brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressures were evaluated and arterial stiffness was assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. C-reactive protein, nitric oxide, and superoxide dismutase were measured at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Statistical analyses performed: Statistical analysis was performed using a split plot model of repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: After 8 weeks, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (131±17 mm Hg [. P<0.05] and 75±9 mm Hg [. P<0.01], respectively) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (1,401±122 cm/second; P<0.01) were significantly lower than baseline levels (138±14 mm Hg, 80±7 mm Hg, and 1,498±179 cm/second, respectively), with significant (. P<0.05) group×time interactions in the blueberry powder group, whereas there were no changes in the group receiving the control powder. Nitric oxide levels were greater (15.35±11.16 μmol/L; P<0.01) in the blueberry powder group at 8 weeks compared with baseline values (9.11±7.95 μmol/L), whereas there were no changes in the control group. Conclusions: Daily blueberry consumption may reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness, which may be due, in part, to increased nitric oxide production.
KW - Blueberries
KW - Flavonoids
KW - Nitric oxide
KW - Pulse wave velocity
KW - Vasodilation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84923317034&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jand.2014.11.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jand.2014.11.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 25578927
AN - SCOPUS:84923317034
SN - 2212-2672
VL - 115
SP - 369
EP - 377
JO - Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
JF - Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
IS - 3
ER -