Oil blend plus antihypertensive lowers blood pressure, cholesterol level

By Piriya Mahendra, medwireNews Reporter

A blend of sesame and rice bran oil could reduce blood pressure (BP) by almost as much as an antihypertensive medication, say researchers.

Furthermore, Devarajan Sankar (Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital, Japan) and team found that individuals who used a combination of both the oil blend and an antihypertensive drug showed more than a twofold reduction in BP compared with those who took either the medication or oil blend alone.

"Rice bran oil, like sesame oil, is low in saturated fat and appears to improve a patient's cholesterol profile," commented Sankar in a press statement. "Additionally, it may reduce heart disease risk in other ways, including being a substitute for less healthy oils and fats in the diet."

Sankar and team found that hypertensive patients who were randomly assigned to receive a blend of sesame oil and a calcium channel blocker showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 16.2 mmHg and a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 36.0 mmHg.

Those who used the oil blend only and the medication only showed a significant reduction in SBP of 14 mmHg and 16 mmHg, respectively. Furthermore, users of the oil blend only and medication only had a reduction in DBP of 11 mmHg and 12 mmHg, respectively.

Individuals using the oil blend only showed a 26.0% drop in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and a 9.5% increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, but no changes in cholesterol were observed for patients only on the antihypertensive medication.

However, patients using the oil blend in combination with the antihypertensive medication showed a 27% reduction in LDL and a 10.9% increase in HDL cholesterol.

Sankar and team believe that healthier fatty acids and antioxidants such as sesamin, sesamol, sesamolin, and oryzanol in the oil blend might be responsible for the lowering of BP and cholesterol.

The results of the study were presented at the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions in Washington DC, USA.

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