DocM Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Link.... Potatoes Can Lower Your Blood PressureToss out last month?s diet berries and health fruit, the latest ?super-food? appears to be the much-maligned and shunned common potato. Researchers are now saying that consuming a portion of spuds twice a day can lower blood pressure by 3 to 4 percent. An added bonus appears that there is no weight gain involved. Microwaved potatoes, free of butter, oil or ketchup, are best for health, researchers added. Baked or boiled, including mash, are also acceptable. Researchers say the effects are likely due to the high concentration of antioxidants found naturally in potatoes. Antioxidants protect your body from molecules called ?free radicals? that can damage healthy cells, WebMD reports. People naturally think ?fattening, high carbs, empty calories.? In reality, when prepared without frying and served without butter, margarine, or sour cream, one potato has only 110 calories and dozens of healthful phytochemicals and vitamins,? researcher Joe Vinson, PhD, of the University of Scranton, says in a news release. ?We hope our research helps to remake the potato?s popular nutritional image.? Researchers studied 18 overweight and obese people with high blood pressure and had them eat six to eight small purple potatoes (about the size of a golf ball), with the skins, twice daily, while a control group consumed no potatoes, as a part of their normal diet for four weeks. The results showed that people who ate purple potatoes lowered their diastolic (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) blood pressure by an average of 4.3 percent and systolic (the top number) by 3.5 percent. Common purple potatoes were used for the study but researchers say red and white potatoes may have similar effects. The results are especially noteworthy with 14 of the 18 people in the study, which were already taking drugs to control hypertension, experienced a further lowering of their blood pressure. No other changes in body weight or cholesterol were found as a result of adding potatoes to their diet. ?The potato, more than perhaps any other vegetable, has an undeserved bad reputation that has led many health-conscious people to ban them from their diet,? Vinson says. The results of the study were presented this week at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Elі Subscriber² Posted September 2, 2011 Subscriber² Share Posted September 2, 2011 Good news, I might give it a try, I take drugs daily for high blood pressure :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebor Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Next week potatoes will be found to cause cancer Do the health benefits still exist after McDonalds get their hands on them? or Walkers? LOL /s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cork1958 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I love potatoes!! Maybe that explains why my blood pressure usually runs about 100/60 and lower sometimes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 I love 'taters too, especially the little reds, but a good baked Idaho works too. I don't use butter but a spray bottle of extra virgin olive oil & not much of it with red pepper flakes. My pressure in the AM on rising can be as low as 90/45 and runs about 110/65-75 once vertical. My Dr. hates me as he's 20 years younger, skinny & has hypertension ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neufuse Veteran Posted September 2, 2011 Veteran Share Posted September 2, 2011 Next week potatoes will be found to cause cancer Do the health benefits still exist after McDonalds get their hands on them? or Walkers? LOL /s I've already seen studies that say the high starch content in patatoes causes cancer is causes obesity...... always love how studies always find another study to contradict another one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 You need some carbs (the starch) to maintain your blood sugar, and potatoes & other root crops are a great source. The real tricks are moderation, avoiding processed carbs, and what you put on them. Potatoes themselves are fine (speaking as a diabetic) in moderation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rheostat Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The sample size was only 18 people? These results are hardly conclusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Sitting on the couch, while eating potatoes, lowers blood pressure even more. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MytMowse Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 It may help lower blood pressure, but it helps raise your blood sugar level if you're diabetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahhell Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The sample size was only 18 people? These results are hardly conclusive. :rofl: No kidding. Might mean something if it was a 1000 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexcyn Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 It may help lower blood pressure, but it helps raise your blood sugar level if you're diabetic. Yeah I was just reading an article that we SHOULDN'T be eating a lot of potatoes. Figures as much though ... every time they release a study, another one comes out to contradict the first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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