Higher consumption of berries, red wine linked to lower SBP; association partly explained by microbial factors<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, Aug. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Higher flavonoid intake is associated with lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), and this association is partly explained by microbial factors, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Hypertension<\/em>.<\/p>\n Amy Jennings, from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, and colleagues examined the extent to which composition of the gut microbiome may explain the cross-sectional association of habitual flavonoid and flavonoid-rich food intake with SBP and diastolic BP in a community-based sample of 904 participants. 16S rRNA genes were used to sequence gut microbiome composition.<\/p>\n The researchers found that SBP was lower in association with higher total flavonoid intakes and specifically the polymer subclass. In food-based analyses, associations were seen for higher intake of berries and red wine with lower SBP and pulse pressure. No associations were seen with diastolic BP. Higher intakes of anthocyanin-rich berries and red wine were associated with higher microbial alpha diversity in food-based analyses. Lower abundance of Parabacteroides<\/em> was seen in association with a higher intake of berries and apples\/pears. Structural equation modeling indicated that microbial factors accounted for 15.2 percent of the association between flavonoid-rich foods and clinically relevant lower SBP.<\/p>\n “A better understanding of the highly individual variability of flavonoid metabolism could very well explain why some people have greater cardiovascular protection benefits from flavonoid-rich foods than others,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n One author received funding from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.<\/p>\n