BLOOD PRESSURE-A SOUPY REMEDY!

From time to time claims are made regarding the virtues of one or the other foods on improving the human health. While some of them are put on the Internet or published in periodicals, good as well as not so good in reputation, with no bad intention, many of them are half baked claims with no scientific basis, probably for publicity. There are also many findings in Ayurveda medicinal system highlighting the usefulness of many traditional foods in alleviating some of the common afflictions visiting humanity at large. What is problematic is translating the results into reality in many human beings with different metabolic and physiological features. It is very true that one man's food may be another man's poison! Recent claim that a soup preparation popular in some parts of the world, can combat blood pressure is some what amusing considering that even if true, practically it is not possible to make and consume this product day in and day out. Here is a gist of the above claim. 

'A regular bowl of gazpacho soup, made up of a range of super foods including tomato, cucumber, garlic and olive oil, could be the key to beating high blood pressure, a research has found. Experts found that even though the cold Spanish dish contains salt, which people with high blood pressure are told to avoid, those having it regularly saw their BP levels drop, Daily Express reported. The soup, the experts believe, could be used to help prevent the condition, reducing the risk of developing hypertension by as much as 27 percent. The latest findings- by scientists at the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases- have major implications for millions of Britons blighted by ill health due to high blood pressure. The research, into the effects of a Mediterranean diet on people at high risk of cardiovascular diseases, looked at 3,995 people taking gazpacho".

There are hundreds of diet components that may have different effect on different metabolic functions in human body and in the modern world where one in five people consume one drug or the other for protection from diseases like CVD, blood pressure and diabetes, what effect such food preparations will have on their net well being, is a million dollar question begging for an answer! Same is true with vegetables, herbs, fruits and other natural food materials recommended by different "experts" for combating a number of ailments. For a normal healthy person these products may not bring any harm but for those health compromised population such prescriptions can be a one way route to disaster and they must seek a specialist's advice before changing the regular diet believing thousands of claim made in the literature.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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