Anti-hypertensive fruit from Japan can really lower your high blood pressure and risk of heart-related issues leading to stroke and heart attack.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a critical risk element for severe health complications such as cardiac episodes and cerebrovascular accidents.

Thankfully, making mindful nutrition decisions can often help manage your blood pressure levels, consequently decreasing your vulnerability to other heart-related conditions.

Newly published findings in the scientific journal, Hypertension Research, present a compelling potential solution to this issue.

The investigative group from Temple University discovered that a concentrated juice derived from the Japanese plum, or “Ume,” as traditionally known in several Asian regions, could dramatically lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

This anti-hypertensive nectar seems to hold a significant potential in contributing to heart health.

Although the raw Japanese plum bears toxins, its juices or wines are deemed safe to consume.

The infused juice concentrate, also known as bainiku-ekisu, has a long-standing reputation as a health supplement in Japan, dating back to at least the 18th century.

Satoru Eguchi, the lead researcher and co-author of the recent study, noted,

“It is recognised that drugs alone are not enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in hypertension patients.

“To help solve this problem, we became interested in a supplement that could potentially decrease cardiovascular disease risk and began investigating the effects of bainiku-ekisu, an infused juice concentrate of the Japanese plum.”

Prior studies conducted on the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels demonstrated that bainiku-ekisu could lessen the growth-promoting signals brought about by angiotensin II. This circulatory hormone plays a pivotal role in the onset of hypertension.

In an effort to delve deeper into the potential blood pressure-lowering effects of this juice, the researchers turned their focus to mice. These mice were given angiotensin II infusions, thereby inducing high blood pressure.

Subsequently, these mice were divided into two groups. One group, the control group, was given plain water, whereas the other group was provided with water enriched with bainiku-ekisu.

Fascinatingly, there were pronounced disparities in the outcomes observed between the two groups of mice.

Remarkably, the rodents that were administered the juice concentrate did not exhibit any signs of hypertension. The researchers’ analysis indicated that bainiku-ekisu seemed to shield the mice from the impacts of angiotensin II.

Additionally, the group of mice receiving the juice had negligible growth and expansion of the aorta, the body’s primary artery, compared to the control group which exhibited significant enlargement in this region.

Moreover, bainiku-ekisu appeared to reduce the infiltration of immune cells that instigate inflammation related to hypertension.

Spurred by these impactful results, the scientists sought to decipher the potential mechanisms through which bainiku-ekisu hindered the development of hypertension in the mice.

The research centered particularly on molecular routes linked to glycolysis – the process in which cells break down glucose. Glycolysis is a key characteristic of the growth and enlargement of the aorta caused by hypertension.

The results implied that bainiku-ekisu thwarts the shift towards glycolysis, hinting that it safeguards against the elevation of blood pressure due to angiotensin II by curbing the adverse metabolic alterations that contribute to the aorta’s growth and inflammation.

The investigators are now endeavoring to pinpoint the specific elements in the fruit juice that confer these protective attributes.

Dr. Eguchi commented,  “There may be two or three compounds working together, which could explain why the infused juice concentrate of Ume is so popular as a health supplement.”

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