ORLANDO—New research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011 has found eating three kiwis a is associated with improved 24-hour blood pressure. The findings suggest the antioxidant lutein plays an important role in lowering diastolic blood pressure.
Researchers analyzed if adding the fruit to what people eat daily would help lower high blood pressure. They divided 50 men and 68 women, average age 55 years, with mildly high blood pressure, into two groups—one added three kiwis to their daily nutrition for eight weeks and the other added an apple a day. Participants’ blood pressure was measured the study’s start and at eight weeks.
After eight weeks, they found that 24-hour systolic blood pressure was an average 3.6 millimeters of mercury lower in the kiwi group than in the apple group. The researchers reported lower diastolic blood pressure in the kiwi group, but the association wasn’t as clear.
