Your gut microbiome may help support the blood-pressure-lowering effects of flavonoid-rich foods like berries, apples, pears, and wine, a new study suggests. Eating more foods packed with flavonoids may help lower your systolic blood pressure especially when you also have a greater diversity of bacteria in your gut, according to a study published in August 2021 in Hypertension.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, recently led a study that found that individuals who consumed the most flavonoid-rich foods tended to have lower blood pressure. People who had the highest total flavonoid intake had significantly lower average systolic blood pressure — 2.9 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) lower — than people with the smallest amount of flavonoids in their diets, the study found.
Up to about 15 per cent of the association between certain flavonoid-rich foods, including berries, red wine, apples, and pears, could be explained by greater diversity in the gut microbiome, the study found. In particular, eating 1.6 servings of berries each day (1 cup) was associated with an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 4.1 mmHg.
Eat A Mediterranean Diet To Boost Your Memory
New research has shown that the Mediterranean Diet—which is high in fruits, veggies, and omega-3s (like in fish and olive oil)—may help preserve memory loss as we get older. A study discovered that participants who ate more olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids and avoided red meats, dairy, and cheese were 19 per cent less likely to have cognitive problems by the end of the study than those who regularly ate those foods.
The study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Athens, Greece now shows that people around age 64 who primarily ate a Mediterranean diet, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, may also have a lower risk of memory loss.
Because there are no pharmaceutical cures or treatments for memory loss or dementia, the researchers say such lifestyle behaviours that can slow or prevent cognitive decline are important strategies for keeping the brain sharp.
