It was concluded that taking the nutritional supplement for 90 days reduced blood pressure but not b
It was concluded that taking the nutritional supplement for 90 days reduced blood pressure but not body weight in this group of subjects. The HRV was not affected by the supplement over the 3-month period. Larger studies should be conducted to determine effects on other populations.
After taking the supplement for 90 days, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased significantly in the treatment group. The systolic blood pressure decreased from 140.4 ± 17.7 to 128 ± 14.2 mm Hg, and the diastolic blood pressure decreased from 90.2 ± 7.7 to 83.1 ± 7.4 mm Hg. No significant blood pressure decrease was observed in the control group (systolic blood pressure from 130.8 ± 16.3 to 131 ± 16.1 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure from 83.6 ± 9.6 to 83.1 ± 7.9 mm Hg). Subject's body weight in pounds did not change significantly in the experimental group: from 193.5 ± 31.1 to 194 ± 31.3. The body weight in the control group showed an increase from 175.9 ± 27.4 to 178 ± 29.9, but it was not significant. The heart rate did not show any statistically significant changes. Time domain analysis of HRV showed an increase in the standard deviation of the average R-R intervals root mean square of successive interbeat intervals, but it did not reach statistical significance. Frequency analysis of HRV found an increase in the total power, but it did not reach a significant level.
Hypertension has been identified as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and renal diseases in the United States.1 Treatment of hypertension has been a challenging endeavor for the health care professionals because it is a common illness and yet difficult to treat simply because of the complex nature of the underlying pathophysiologic causes of hypertension.2 Using nutritional supplements to control blood pressure (BP) is a method focused on patients' overall health with the potential of antihypertensive effect for the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD).3 It is not intended to be a direct treatment of hypertension or replacement treatment of hypertension. However, because nutritional supplement may be beneficial to many aspects of the body system with no known adverse effects, it is important to investigate if consumption of such nutritional supplement has any antihypertensive effects in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The international guidelines for the prevention of CHD suggested that patients with manifest CHD should control their BP to less than 140/90 mm Hg and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to less than 2.6 mmol/L.4
Recent studies on the effect of diet on reducing BP have found that the overall dietary pattern exerted the greatest influence on BP than any one particular nutritional component.5 Significantly, BP-lowering effects have been found in all population groups with a nutritionally complete diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.5,6 The diet known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet has been tested in randomized controlled trials and documented to elicit the greatest beneficial effects in hypertensive Americans.6,7 The diet clearly demonstrated the beneficial effect for cardiovascular patients. It was also suggested that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet may also reduce the risk of some cancers.8,9 The calcium in the dairy products would help lower the risk of osteoporosis.10 The diet consists of whole foods that are easily available at local grocery stores.7,11
It was interesting to note in a meta-analysis of 44 randomized controlled studies that the dietary effect was more significant than exercise in terms of lowering BP (P < .02) and that adding exercise to diet does not seem to further reduce BP.12 The effect on BP was more pronounced in hypertensives than in normotensives. Clinical trials indicate that the consumption of recommended levels of dairy products, as part of a healthy diet, can contribute to lowering BP in individuals with normal and elevated BP.13
A meta-analysis to combine mean differences between end point BP in treatment and control groups in 105 trials randomizing 6805 participants using robust statistical analysis found significant effects for improved diet, aerobic exercise, alcohol and sodium restriction, and fish oil supplements: mean reductions in systolic BP of 5.0 mm Hg with corresponding reductions in diastolic BP.14 Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of a number of micronutrients and other phytochemicals having antioxidant properties.15 It has been reported that consumption of green leafy vegetables in the raw state had significantly higher values as an antioxidant than the cooked state (P < .001).14 This may contribute to the widely accepted method of improving cardiovascular health by taking a green vegetable supplement. NanoGreens (Biopharma Scientific, Inc, San Diego, CA) supplement is one of the many products that can be found in the market of nutritional supplements. The particular mechanism of the beneficial effects of taking a green vegetable supplement is not well established. It was proposed that the green vegetable supplement might serve as antagonists on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.15,16
The specific aims of this study were to understand the influence of the NanoGreens nutritional supplements on BP, heart rate variability (HRV), and body weight. The hypotheses were that these nutritional supplements could reduce BP and body weight and increase HRV.