You exercise, cut down on salt, and do everything right — but your blood pressure still won’t budge. Maybe you’ve tried medication, only to be met with side effects like fatigue or dizziness.
What if there was a natural, food-based way to help regulate blood pressure — one that’s already sitting in your fridge?
A new study led by researchers from the University of Alberta may have found a promising, side-effect-free alternative in a simple food protein. And it’s showing results comparable to pharmaceutical treatments.
More Than Just Nutrition
This isn’t about some exotic superfood or trendy supplement. The researchers focused on protein extracts from a common food source, testing their effects on lab animals with hypertension.
In the study, conducted by Jianping Wu and his team and published in Food Materials Research, the researchers administered two types of protein hydrolysates to hypertensive rats — one containing a specific compound and one without it.
Both versions significantly lowered systolic blood pressure within nine days of daily use. That’s a measurable drop of nearly 18 mmHg — without altering heart rate.
A Biochemical Boost for Vascular Health
Further analysis revealed that these proteins had a strong impact on the body’s internal blood pressure regulation system — the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). This is the same system many blood pressure medications target.
The proteins appeared to:
- Increase the production of ACE2, an enzyme that helps relax blood vessels
- Activate eNOS, which boosts nitric oxide and improves circulation
- Reduce oxidative stress that can damage blood vessel walls
- Lower pressure-related proteins in the kidneys and aorta
While one version of the protein blend also lowered inflammation, the other did not — but both had a strong overall effect on vascular function and blood pressure.
A Natural Alternative in the Making?
Although the study was conducted on rats, the results point toward real potential for developing functional foods designed to lower blood pressure in humans — without medication.
These food-based proteins could become a safe and affordable alternative or supplement to traditional treatments.
The research team believes this is just the beginning. They encourage further testing in clinical settings and stress the importance of using nutrition as part of a broader strategy for managing chronic conditions like hypertension.
This article is based on information from News Medical