Tag Archives: blood pressure

b-type procyanidin-rich foods consumed in right amounts have multiple health benefits

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B-type procyanidins, made of catechin oligomers, are a class of polyphenols found abundantly in foods like cocoa, apples, grape seeds, and red wine. Several studies have established the benefits of these micronutrients in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and strokes. B-type procyanidins are also successful in controlling hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance. Studies attest to the physiological benefits of their intake on the central nervous system (CNS), namely an improvement in cognitive functions. These physiological changes follow a pattern of hormesis—a phenomenon in which peak benefits of a substance are achieved at mid-range doses, becoming progressively lesser at lower and higher doses.

The dose-response relationship of most bioactive compounds follows a monotonic pattern, in which a higher dose shows a greater response. However, in some exceptional cases, a U-shaped dose-response curve is seen. This U-shaped curve signifies hormesis—an adaptive response, in which a low dose of usually a harmful compound induces resistance in the body to its higher doses. This means that exposure to low levels of a harmful trigger can induce the activation of stress-resistant pathways, leading to greater repair and regeneration capabilities. In case of B-type procyanidins, several in vitro studies support their hormetic effects, but these results have not been demonstrated in vivo.

To address this knowledge gap, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, led by Professor Naomi Osakabe from the Department of Bioscience and Engineering, reviewed the data from intervention trials supporting hormetic responses of B-type procyanidin ingestion. The team, comprising Taiki Fushimi and Yasuyuki Fujii from the Graduate School of Engineering and Science (SIT), also conducted in vivo experiments to understand possible connections between B-type procyanidin hormetic responses and CNS neurotransmitter receptor activation. Their article was made available online on June 15, 2022 and has been published in volume 9 of Frontiers of Nutrition on September 7, 2022.

B-type procyanidins

Researchers from SIT, Japan investigated the dose-response effects of B-type procyanidins on the hormetic response system./CREDIT:Reprinted with permission from, Osakabe N, Fushimi T and Fujii Y (2022) Hormetic response to B-type procyanidin ingestion involves stress-related neuromodulation via the gut-brain axis: Preclinical and clinical observations. Front. Nutr. 9:969823. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.969823. Copyright © 2022 Osakabe, Fushimi and Fujii.

The researchers noted that a single oral administration of an optimal dose of cocoa flavanol temporarily increased the blood pressure and heart rate in rats. But the hemodynamics did not change when the dose was increased or decreased. Administration of B-type procyanidin monomer and various oligomers produced similar results. According to Professor Osakabe, “These results are consistent with those of intervention studies following a single intake of food rich in B-type procyanidin, and support the U-shaped dose-response theory, or hormesis, of polyphenols.”

To observe whether the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is involved in the hemodynamic changes induced by B-type procyanidins, the team administered adrenaline blockers in test rats. This successfully decreased the temporary increase in heart rate induced by the optimal dose of cocoa flavanol. A different kind of blocker—a1 blocker—inhibited the transient rise in blood pressure. This suggested that the SNS, which controls the action of adrenaline blockers, is responsible for the hemodynamic and metabolic changes induced by a single oral dose of B-type procyanidin.

The researchers next ascertained why optimal doses, and not high doses, are responsible for the thermogenic and metabolic responses. They co-administered a high dose of cocoa flavanol and yohimbine (an α2 blocker) and noted a temporary but distinct increase in blood pressure in test animals. Similar observations were made with the use of B-type procyanidin oligomer and yohimbine. Professor Osakabe surmises, “Since α2 blockers are associated with the down-regulation of the SNS, the reduced metabolic and thermogenic outputs at a high dose of B-type procyanidins seen in our study may have induced α2 auto-receptor activation. Thus, SNS deactivation may be induced by a high dose of B-type procyanidins.”

Previous studies have proven the role of the gut-brain axis in controlling hormetic stress-related responses. The activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by optimal stress has a strong influence on memory, cognition, and stress tolerance. This article highlights how HPA activation occurs after a single dose of B-type procyanidin, suggesting that stimulation with an oral dose of B-type procyanidin might be a stressor for mammals and cause SNS activation.

Hormesis and its triggering biochemical pathways deliver protection against various pathological and aging processes, enhancing our general health and making us resilient to future stress. Though the exact relation between B-type procyanidins and the CNS needs more research, the health benefits of B-type procyanidin-rich foods remains undisputed.

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Insufficient sleep in teenagers leads to obesity: Study

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Adolescents who sleep less than eight hours a night are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to their peers with sufficient sleep, said a new study presented at ESC Congress 2022.

Shorter sleepers were also more likely to have a combination of other unhealthy characteristics including excess fat around the middle, elevated blood pressure, and abnormal blood lipid and glucose levels, said the study by Jesús Martínez Gómez, a researcher at the Cardiovascular Health and Imaging Laboratory, Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.

“Our study shows that most teenagers do not get enough sleep and this is connected with excess weight and characteristics that promote weight gain, potentially setting them up for future problems,” said study author Gómez. “We are currently investigating whether poor sleep habits are related to excessive screen time, which could explain why older adolescents get even less sleep than younger ones.”

Sleep/en.wikipedia.org

This study examined the association between sleep duration and health in 1,229 adolescents in the SI! Program for Secondary Schools trial in Spain. Participants had an average age of 12 years at baseline with equal numbers of boys and girls.

Sleep was measured for seven days with a wearable activity tracker three times in each participant at ages 12, 14 and 16 years. For optimal health, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises sleeping 9 to 12 hours a night for 6 to 12 year-olds and 8 to 10 hours for 13 to 18 year-olds.3 To simplify the analysis, the study used 8 hours or more as optimal. Participants were categorized as very short sleepers (less than 7 hours), short sleepers (7 to 8 hours), and optimal (8 hours or more).

Overweight and obesity were determined according to body mass index. The researchers calculated a continuous metabolic syndrome score ranging from negative (healthier) to positive (unhealthier) values that included waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood glucose and lipid levels.

At 12 years of age, only 34% of participants slept at least 8 hours a night, and this dropped to 23% and 19% at 14 and 16 years of age, respectively. Boys tended to get less sleep. Teenagers who got the most sleep also had better quality sleep, meaning they woke up less during the night and spent a higher proportion of the time in bed sleeping compared to those with shorter sleep. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 27%, 24% and 21% at 12, 14 and 16 years of age, respectively.

Compared with optimal sleepers, overweight/obesity was 21% and 72% more likely in very short sleepers at 12 and 14 years, respectively. Short sleepers were 19% and 29% more likely to be overweight/obese compared with optimal sleepers at 12 and 14 years, respectively. Similarly, both very short and short sleepers had higher average metabolic syndrome scores at 12 and 14 years compared with optimal sleepers.

Mr. Martínez Gómez said: “The connections between insufficient sleep and adverse health were independent of energy intake and physical activity levels, indicating that sleep itself is important.”

New Blood Pressure Monitoring Device Developed to Make it More Accurate

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Amid recent reports of blood pressure devices not being accurate, a team of doctors from Jerusalem have come up with a new oscillometry device to measure it accurately.

The device, developed by a group of researchers from the Jerusalem College of Technology and the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel, uses photoplethysmography technique, a pressure cuff wrapped around the arm and an electro-optic probe on the finger.

The finger probe acts as pulse oximeter that emits light into the finger and the detector measures the light transmitted through the finger. “The transmitted light exhibits pulses at the heart rate, due to cardiac-induced blood volume changes in the finger tissue,” explained lead author Meir Nitzen.

When the cuff pressure increases beyond the systolic blood pressure these pulses disappear and vice versa, enabling the correct determination of systolic blood pressure. Since the device does not eliminate the “white coat syndrome”, wherein a patient’s fear or anxiety during the test increases the measurement, they propose to avoid the effect advising the device to be used at home and in a relaxed atmosphere.

Since the old oscillometry-based automatic meters offer a low level of accuracy than the manual auscultatory technique, they advise the use of an electro-optic probe on the finger as well. The error inaccuracy levels of 10 to 15 mmHg seen in available in automatic oscillometric technique is attributed to air-pressure wave measurements in these devices.

A systolic blood pressure (BP) that measures 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic measurement of 90 mmHG or higher (140/90 mmHg) is considered high.

The research findings have been presented at the “Cardiovascular Aging: New Frontiers and Old Friends conference” in Westminster, Colo.

However, past studies have shown that blood pressure monitoring may help patients with hypertension and stroke but did not improve blood pressure control for patients who had normal blood pressure at the start.

A study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) said, “Home monitoring depended on patients taking their blood pressure, recognizing if readings were consistently over target, understanding the need for intensification of treatment, visiting their physician for review and appropriate management by their physician.”

Sally Kerry, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Queen Mary, University of London, UK, said good blood pressure control can significantly reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in the estimated 15 million people who have strokes each year worldwide.

“Home monitoring depended on patients taking their blood pressure, recognizing if readings were consistently over target, understanding the need for intensification of treatment, visiting their physician for review and appropriate management by their physician,” wrote the authors.

The study involved 381 participants aged 30 (mean 72) years from three stroke units in London, using home monitoring from March 2007 to August 2009. A total of 23% of participants were from ethnic minorities, and 45% had some disability due to stroke, including many frail, elderly patients.

 

Mozart’s Music Reduces Hypertension (BP), Says Study

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A study from the University Bochum in Germany showed in its recent comparative research of the classical music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II vis-a-vis Abba of the 1980s that the hepertension comes down when you listen to Mozart or Strauss but not ABBA.

They corraborated how Mozart’s music can reduce blood lipid concentration, blood pressure and heart rate, some of the benefits observed in people. “It’s been known for centuries that music has an effect on human beings,” said authors in a study published in the German journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. “In antiquity, music was used to improve performance in athletes during the Olympic Games.”

The researchers have divided 120 person in two groups and recorded their cortisol concentration, blood pressure and heart rate before listening to the music, after listening to the music. One group was given to listen to Mozart or J. Strauss Jr. and ABBA.

The other 60 people in the second group were not asked to listen to any music but to read silently. Those who listened to the music of Mozart and Strauss showed a considerable decrease in their blood pressure and heart rate. Those who listened to ABBA had more or same blood pressure at the end.

In another comparison of those who spent reading in silence and those who listened to Mozart or Strauss, the gap is relatively visible as those who read book recorded slightly lower BP but hose in the other music group recorded a higher decrease in their BP, said the researchers. In all, clasical music leads to a lower blood cortisol level, said researchers.

In terms of women listeners to the music, the decrease in their blood pressure is relatively less than men who listened to the same music. Music provides greater health benefits than silence, asserted researchers in their conclusion.

The Mozart family c. 1780. The portrait on the wall is of Mozart’s mother. (Wikipedia)