Posted by Jai Maharaj

EAT BANANAS TO AVOID BLOOD PRESSURE

The Times of India

Nayee Dillee - A banana or two a day keeps your blood
pressure at bay, according to scientists who report that
bananas can lower hypertension, offering a cheap and safe
alternative to drugs.

A study on human volunteers by the Kasturba Medical
College in Manipal showed a 10 per cent fall in blood
pressure in persons who consumed two bananas daily for a
week.

The studies followed successful experiments in rats that
showed that ripe and unripe bananas have compounds that
can lower blood pressure.

These natural compounds act in a manner similar to anti-
hypertensive drugs that are a multi-billion-dollar
industry today, a report by the scientists in the journal
Current Science says.

Current drugs to lower high blood pressure are called
``ace inhibitors.'' They inhibit the action of
angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) which is responsible
for forming a substance angiotensin-2 which constricts
blood vessels and raises the pressure inside them.

The Manipal team studied six popular banana varieties and
found that all had ace-inhibiting properties, though the
ripened bananas had a stronger action than unripe ones.

The six varieties studied by the scientists included
Nendran, Rasthali, Poovan, Robusta, Bontha and Safed
Velchi.

The studies indicate that the banana ace inhibitors may
be different from ``Captotril,'' the drug which forms the
backbone of anti- hypertensive drug market today.

The team consisted of N Mallikarjuna Rao, K V S R G
Prasad and K S R Pai. Their interest was triggered by
reports in indigenous systems of medicine that bananas
are useful in treating high blood pressure and heart
problems.

The team found that the extract from Poovan variety was
not destroyed by heat and retained its activity even
after exposure to a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius
for 10 minutes.

Since unripe bananas are consumed as vegetables, this
finding suggests that cooking may not destroy their
beneficial properties, the report says.

The extracts have also been found to be highly stable in
acidic conditions -- which are present in the stomach
during digestion. (PTI)

Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the
educational purposes of research and open discussion.

Jai Maharaj

Follow Ups:

• True sea salt, with potassium, manganese, magnesium, etc. would seem a more appropriate path to take Michael
  • Re: True sea salt, with potassium, manganese, magnesium, etc. would seem a more appropriate path to take bernice
• A medium banana is between 80 to 100 calories..... Marge
  • Re: A medium banana is between 80 to 100 calories..... bernice
  • Re: A medium banana is between 80 to 100 calories..... M. A.
    • Re: A medium banana is between 80 to 100 calories..... Tony Miles
• we talked her into bananas... Her blood pressure stayed normal Marge
• there must be some differences in the sources of K that effect BP, jwwright
• Re: EAT BANANAS TO AVOID BLOOD PRESSURE PROBLEMS healthnutt

Post a Followup