Coconut Oil and Exercise can Beat High Blood Pressure

Combination of coconut oil supplementation and physical exercise can beat high blood pressure, revealed scientists at the Biotechnology Center at the Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil. Coconut oil has a unique combination of fatty acids that can have profound positive effects on health, including fat loss, better brain function and many other remarkable benefits. Researchers tested the hypothesis that a combination of daily coconut oil intake and exercise training would restore baroreflex sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress, resulting in reduction in blood pressure.

Mice studies revealed that both coconut oil and exercise training were able to reduce weight gain compared to rats that were given saline and were not exposed to the exercise training protocol along the 5 weeks of study. Either supplementation with coconut oil or exercise training was shown to reduce blood pressure. However, only the combination of coconut oil supplementation and exercise training was able to bring the blood pressure back to normotensive values. This reduction in blood pressure caused by the combination might be explained by the improvement of the reduced baroreflex sensitivity and by the reduction in oxidative stress in the serum, heart and aorta.

Dr. Valdir de Andrade Braga, co-author of the study said, "The finding was important as coconut oil is currently being considered a popular 'superfood' and it is being consumed by athletes and the general population who seek a healthy lifestyle. The possibility of using coconut oil as an adjuvant to treat hypertension adds to the long list of benefits associated with its consumption."

The study appears in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Source-Medindia