Olive oil with vegetables lowers the blood pressure

Study: Olive oil properly lowers blood pressure

05/24/2014

It has long been believed that consuming olive oil can help to strengthen the cardiovascular system and protect it from disease. British researchers have now found in a study that not only the oil alone has a positive effect on health, but that it requires a combination with vegetables.

Healthy Mediterranean cuisine
The Mediterranean cuisine has long been in a good reputation ahead. Even older studies have already shown that this diet can help to better protect against heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular disease. It could also contribute to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Although there was no evidence, many people believed that this was mainly or even exclusively due to the use of olive oil in the Mediterranean, which is said to lower blood pressure. But British researchers from King's College London now show that the olive oil for the hypotensive effect still needs a competitor, such as lettuce.

Important nitro-fatty acids are formed
When the unsaturated fatty acids of the oil hit nitrate-containing vegetables, so-called nitro-fatty acids are formed. These are substances that can block an enzyme that plays a role in the development of blood pressure. The team led by Philipp Eaton has investigated in experiments with genetically modified mice whether the effect is sufficient to positively influence the cardiovascular system and to lower blood pressure. The animals bred specifically for the study formed a functional form of the enzyme in their bodies which, however, can not be blocked by nitro-fatty acids. Scientists artificially induced hypertension in these mice as well as those in the control group. They also fed the rodents with Nitro-enriched feed that was comparable in value to Mediterranean diet.

Combination of olive oil and nitrate-rich vegetables
The researchers then regularly checked the blood pressure of the animals and it was found that the nitro fatty acids significantly lowered the blood pressure of the unchanged mice. By contrast, the values ​​for the genetically modified mice remained high. Like the scientists in the trade magazine „Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences“ Thus, the hypotensive effect is based on the blocking of the enzyme by nitro-fatty acids. The results therefore suggest that it is the combination of oil and nitrate-rich vegetables that makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy. However, a similar effect may be observed when nuts or avocados hit spinach, celery or carrots. Incidentally, cold-pressed oils should not be used for frying or heated too high, as high temperatures not only change the taste but also destroy important ingredients of the oil. (Ad)