Researchers from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Irvine3 Circulation-Vascular Labs and San Valentino Vascular Screening Project, Gabriele D’Annunzio University, Pescara, in Italy, looked at the efficacy of a standardised grape seed procyanidins extract to decrease blood pressure.
This extract, when used in association with improved diet and lifestyle, was researched in a study amongst healthy, pre- and mildly hypertensive subjects.
After 4 months they found that a statistically significant higher, and dose-dependent, improvement in all endpoints was observed in the treatment groups.
They found that blood pressure normalised in 93% of a higher dosage (300 mg) treatment group.
The research, published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal, concludes that grape seed extracts have beneficial cardiovascular effects in the hypertension area.