Fiber Combats Hypertension

Adding more fiber to a diet may help lowerblood pressure and may help enhance healthyblood pressure levels. For the investigation, theresearchers used a meta-analysis study, whichcombines information from many studies to lookfor trends that otherwise may not be noticed.The study evaluated data on 1500 adults in 25studies. The researchers found that consumingbetween 7 and 19 g of fiber daily resulted in areduction in both systolic and diastolic bloodpressure.

"We performed a comprehensive analysis ofdata from 25 clinical trials, and all the data pointedto one strong conclusion—adding fiber to aperson's diet has a health effect on their bloodpressure," according to lead author and medicalstudent Seamus Whelton. He further explainedwhy the researchers chose a meta-analysisstudy. "Analyzing a large number of studies lendsstrength to the conclusions of clinical trials thatinvolved too few participants [individually] to showan effect of dietary fiber on blood pressure."

The researchers suggested that individualsincorporate fruits and vegetables into their diet inorder to increase their intake of dietary fiber.They noted that additional changes in diet andexercise can help lower blood pressure andshould be discussed with a physician.