One in three – that’s how many adults in the US suffer from chronic high blood pressure.
What’s even more startling than these stats is the cocktail of pills they have to consume on a daily basis.
Thankfully, for these people, scientists from the University of Michigan have found a solution to this ever-growing epidemic that’s sweeping the world, and the answer lies in one delicious-tasting fruit, which has even been dubbed as the “mother of all antioxidants” by some doctors.
Grapes not only lower high blood pressure considerably, they also alter your genes, putting an end to your “genetic” high blood pressure”.
The study saw scientists supplementing high amounts of grape extract powder in rat’s high fat diets.
The results were outstanding.
The grape powder prevented the rat’s hearts from becoming enlarged and the arteries from hardening, which typically happens in humans and animals that follow a high fat diet – it is also a common side effect of high blood pressure.
Researchers can now say with confidence that grapes do not only lower blood pressure, but they also contribute to the prevention of heart failure.
They then fed the grape-rich diet to rats with hypertension for 18 weeks, which resulted in the altering of the rat’s genes.
When the genes were altered, the grapes were able to provide the hearts cells with even more antioxidants, therefore preventing them from suffering from the effects of high blood pressure.
Doctors recommend that people who suffer from high blood pressure should add a handful of grapes to their daily diet to prevent heart disease and stop their high blood pressure from spiralling out of control.