A recent study say that eating raisins appears to help keep away high blood pressure Eating a handful of raisins at three different times of the day was able to help people who had blood pressure that was slightly elevated. After a number of weeks of eating the dried fruit, the people were able to maintain their lower levels of blood pressure.
The trial was randomized and the first formal way of measuring, the benefits of raisins on an individual’s blood pressure. The trial involved 46 participants who had pre-hypertension. That condition means their blood pressure was between 120 over 80 and 139 over 89 or slightly higher than what is considered normal.
Compared to participants who ate crackers or cookies, the raisin eaters saw a substantial drop in their blood pressure. In some instances, the top number was reduced by 10 or about 7% over the term of the 12 week study. It is still unknown why raisins work well, but researchers believe the high levels of potassium in the dried fruit could be a reason.
Raisins are full of potassium and are a very good source of daily antioxidant fiber that may help the biochemistry of our blood vessels, making them less stiff, reducing the blood pressure,” said Harold Bays the lead investigator in the study.
