Can Blueberries Help Control Blood Pressure In Women?

Women trying to combat high blood pressure may have a new weapon in their arsenal: blueberries. Daily consumption of blueberries has been shown to lower blood pressure and lessen arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women, according to a new clinical trial. The trial, which took place in Florida and recently was published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, examined the effects the fruit had on 48 women. Post-menopausal women provided a meaningful test group, according to study authors, because they typically are more likely than others to have hypertension, or high blood pressure, and to develop arterial stiffness, which increases their risk for cardiovascular disease. Over the course of eight weeks, the women were randomly assigned to take either 22 grams of freeze-dried blueberry powder, which equals about a cup of fresh blueberries, or 22 grams of a placebo powder.