Lower ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to eating an apple a day
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Eating three kiwi fruits a day is associated with improved 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP), according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in Orlando, Fla.
Mette Svendsen, M.D., from the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues assessed the effects of adding kiwi to the usual diet on 24-hour ambulatory BP in 50 men and 68 women (average age, 55 years; average BP, 128/85 mmHg) who were mildly hypertensive. All participants were randomized to receive three kiwi fruits or one apple (control group) per day for eight weeks with no other dietary changes. A between-group comparison was made using a general linear model, with the change in BP from baseline to eight weeks as the dependent variable, and the intervention group as a categorical variable. The comparison was made after adjusting for the baseline value of the analyzed variable in model 1, and after adjustment for all covariates (body mass index, gender, age, and baseline value) in model 2.
The investigators found that, compared to the apple group, participants in the kiwi group had significantly lower 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP after eight weeks (between group difference, 3.6 and 3.3 mmHg in models 1 and 2, respectively). The kiwi group participants had lower ambulatory diastolic BP in model 1 but not in model 2 (between group difference, 1.9 mm Hg; P= 0.04 in model 1; and 1.6 mm Hg; P = 0.079 in model 2).
"Three kiwi a day improved 24-hour BP more than an apple a day," the authors write.
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