NEWSLETTER #194: Three Foods to Lower Blood Pressure 🫀
Good morning, humanOS friends! Hope that you’re kicking back and enjoying a relaxing weekend, wherever you are.

This week, we took a look at research examining the impact of specific foods on blood pressure. High blood pressure is classically referred to as a “silent killer” because it can wreak havoc in the body without showing obvious symptoms. And it is astoundingly common - about one in three Americans have hypertension. But why is it so prevalent? And is there anything that we can do about it?
Well, maybe. Interestingly, studies examining people in hunter-gatherer communities tend to find that blood pressure is almost universally low, when compared to otherwise similar individuals living in nearby urban communities. Furthermore, it remains low across the lifespan , without the rise with age that we observe in people from industrialized societies. This certainly would suggest that blood pressure may be actionable through lifestyle.
Of course, our lives diverge from that of hunter-gatherers in lots of different ways, and some of these elements would be pretty tough to emulate. But one difference that is worth exploring is diet. People living traditional lifestyles tend to eat a diet higher in polyphenols, and we know that diets higher in polyphenols are linked to substantially lower risk of cardiovascular disease likely in part due to modulation of blood pressure. So, it makes good sense that foods that are high in polyphenols, like tart cherries, extra virgin olive oil, and whole grains, would lead to lower blood pressure when added experimentally to the diet. To learn more, scroll on down 👇🏻
This Week's Research Highlights
🥖 Three daily servings of whole grains significantly lowers blood pressure.
A total of 233 volunteers were randomly assigned to consume either a diet using refined grains (control) or diets with three daily portions of whole-grain foods, either wheat or oats. After 12 weeks, the whole grain group experienced reductions in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure of 6 and 3 mmHg respectively. These changes were not explained by weight loss, nor by changes in macro- or micronutrients in the diet - in fact, several vitamins were actually increased in the refined grain diet, due to enrichment. This suggests that other attributes of whole grains, like phytochemicals or fiber, may be responsible for their cardiovascular benefits.
🥗 Extra-virgin olive oil reduces blood pressure and even enables some people to quit antihypertensive drugs.
A group of 23 patients with hypertension were randomly assigned to consume a diet rich in either extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil for six months. After six months, all patients were switched to the other oil for another six months, so that the effects of both could be compared in each individual. The extra-virgin olive oil resulted in significant reductions in blood pressure, so much so that daily dosage of antihypertensives was reduced by 48%. Eight of the participants were able to quit taking the medications entirely because their blood pressure was under such good control while using the extra-virgin olive oil. This finding is supported by a similar subsequent study, which found that hypertensive patients who consumed a diet enriched in olive oil showed normalized systolic blood pressure (136±10mmHg), compared to when they were assigned to a sunflower oil diet (150±8mmHg).
🍒 Tart cherry juice concentrate has blood pressure-lowering effects on par with some medications.
Researchers recruited 15 healthy men with mildly elevated blood pressure (at or above 130/90 mmHg). Participants were randomly assigned to drink either 2 ounces of tart cherry juice concentrate or 2 ounces of a fruit-flavored beverage with no actual fruit in it. The researchers measured blood pressure and took blood samples before the drinks were consumed, then continued to measure at hourly intervals after administering the drinks. Participants who drank the cherry juice experienced a peak drop in blood pressure of around 7 mmHg. To put this into context, this level of reduction is comparable to the blood pressure-lowering effect of some antihypertensive drugs, and pharmaceutical trials have shown that a reduction of blood pressure of this magnitude may be enough to reduce risk of stroke by 38% and risk of coronary artery disease by 23% over a five year period.
Random Trivia & Weird News
🪕 It is against the law to annoy someone with a musical instrument in Singapore.
Under Section 14 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, any person who makes any noise by any instrument "in such a manner as to cause annoyance or inconvenience" is liable on conviction to a fine up to $1000. (If you are familiar with statutory laws in Singapore, this probably won’t surprise you much.)
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Brendon Stubbs: The research on depression and physical activity. Via Sigma Nutrition.
- Michael Diamond & Saskia Popescu: Omicron may be less severe. It’s still a big healthcare problem. Via Science Friday.
Products We Are Enjoying
Suja Celery Juice
One nutrient which is consistently associated with better blood pressure is potassium. Unfortunately, most Americans do not get nearly enough - in fact, research has found that 99% fall short of the recommended intake! A diet rich in fruits and vegetables should net you plenty, but one easy way to get an extra boost of potassium is through celery juice. One 8-ounce serving packs an impressive 610 mg of potassium - 15% of the recommended daily value for that mineral.

humanOS Catalog Feature of the Week
Thanks, as always, for reading, and we'll see y'all again next week!