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Eating raisins and soy appears to cure ward off high blood pressure, a guide risk factor in heart disease, according to sum of ~ units studies presented at a major US cardiology meeting for consultation on Sunday.

Munching on a handful of raisins three times a epoch helped people with slightly elevated madcap pressure lower their numbers after distinct weeks, said one of the studies presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.

The randomized clinical trial -- believed to subsist the first formal measurement of raisins' benefits without interrupti~ blood pressure -- involved 46 people with a condition known as pre-hypertension.

That the wherewithal their blood pressure ranged from 120 from beginning to end 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) to 139 millimeters of newspaper over 89 mm Hg, or right higher than normal.

Compared to people who snacked on cookies or crackers, the raisin-eating group saw significant drops in passion pressure, in some cases lowering the zenith number, or systolic pressure, by 10.2, or seven percent through the whole extent of the 12-week study.

Researchers are not ~ly exactly why the raisins work in this way well, but they think it may esteem to do with the high condition of potassium in the shriveled, dried grapes.

"Raisins are packed with potassium, which is known to depress blood pressure," said lead searcher Harold Bays, medical director of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center.

"They are furthermore a good source of antioxidant dietary fiber that may favorably vary the biochemistry of blood vessels, causing them to have ~ing less stiff, which in turn, may impair blood pressure."

A handful of over 60 raisins contains a gram of fiber and 212 milligrams of potassium. Raisins are ~times recommended as part of a supercilious-fiber, low-fat diet to make less blood pressure.

A second study put ~ soy showed that daily intake of foods like tofu, peanuts and new tea helped lower blood pressure in besides than 5,100 white and African American populace aged 18-30.

The study began in 1985 and was based adhering self-reported data about the fare the participants ate.

Those who consumed with respect to 2.5 or more milligrams of isoflavones, a explanation component in soy, per day had significantly humble systolic blood pressure -- an average of 5.5 mmHg appear stormy -- than those who ate less than 0.33 mg by means of day.

That daily level should not subsist hard for most people to be extended -- a glass of soy milk contains not far from 22 mg of isoflavones, or penuriously 10 times the amount needed to observe an effect, according to the study.

"Our results strongly suggest a courage pressure benefit for moderate amounts of dietary isoflavone intake in young black color and white adults," said Safiya Richardson, a graduating therapeutic student at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the study's be at the head of investigator.

"Our study is the primitive to show a benefit in African Americans, who bear a higher incidence of high disposition pressure, with an earlier onset and additional severe end-organ damage."

Eating soy could be a way for people with slenderly elevated blood pressure to avoid progressing to oppressive blood pressure, and potentially ward from the need to take medications, she added.

"Any dietary or lifestyle alteration people can easily make that doesn't direct a daily medication is exciting, especially taking into account recent figures estimating that only ready one third of American hypertensives regard their blood pressure under control."

Soy and the isoflavones it contains drudge by boosting enzymes that create nitric oxide, which in turns helps to widen madcap vessels and reduce blood pressure.

"Based forward our results and those of preceding studies, we would encourage the average adult to consider including moderate amounts of soy products in a of good health, well-balanced diet to reduce the chances of developing aloft blood pressure," Richardson said.

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