Pterostilbene Reduces Blood Pressure

JACKSON, Miss.Pterostilbene, a polyphenol found in blueberries, reduced blood pressure in adults in a recent study published in Hypertension (2012; 60: A617).

A prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study reviewed patients with a total cholesterol 200 mg/dL and/or low-density lipoproteins (LDL) 100 mg/dL. Eighty patients were an average age of 54 and were not on cholesterol therapy nor cholesterol medication. The majority of patients were female (57/80; 71 percent) and Caucasian (56/80; 70 percent). More than half (55 percent; 44/80) had hypertension. The subjects were divided equally into one of four groups for six to eight weeks:

Patients also received identical counseling on lifestyle intervention.

Both systolic (-7.8 mmHg; P<0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (-7.3 mmHg; P<0.001) were reduced with high-dose pterostilbene. The only change in lipids was an increase in LDL with pterostilbene monotherapy (24.9 mg/dL; P<0.001) which was not seen with GE combination (P=0.47).

Presence of a baseline cholesterol medication appeared to attenuate LDL effects. Patients not on cholesterol medication (N=51) exhibited minor weight loss with pterostilbene (-0.59 kg/m2; P=0.014).

This study, which used ChromaDex® Corp.'s pTeroPure®, was presented at American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.