September 20, 2002 – Adding sunflower seeds to the diet of people with high blood pressure may help them control the problem and even reduce it. This is what reveals a study made public at a meeting of the American Physiological Society at the end of last August, in San Diego.
Study author Vallie Holloway 1, added sunflower seeds to the diet of hypertensive rats. The linoleic acid in these seeds has had several positive effects on the little animals: lowering blood pressure and improving the absorption of dopamine D1 in their brains, a substance that plays an important role in learning and in memory development. We already knew the beneficial effects of omega-3 (contained, among others, in fish oil and flax seeds) on hypertension. On the other hand, the beneficial effects of omega-6 (a substance present in sunflower seeds as well as in safflower oil) were little or not documented.
These results are important because recent research indicates that reducing high blood pressure in people with the condition helps lower their risk of brain damage.
Hypertension is a major public health problem in North America. In the United States, it is the third leading cause of death with 160,000 deaths each year! In Quebec, hypertension is the 5th most important health problem after allergies, headaches, arthritis and rheumatism and back or spine pain. That’s not all: people with hypertension represent a growing proportion of the population. According to the 1998 social and health survey, available on the website of the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the percentage of Quebecers with hypertension increased from 6.3% to 8.5% from 1987 to 1998. .
Stéphane Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
According to InteliHealth, September 2002
1. Krupa, Donna. Mother (Nature) Knows best. American Physiological Society, Aug 27, 2002. http://www.newswise.com/articles/2002/8/SUNFLOW.PH2.html
