Effects of an Optimized Aged Garlic Extract on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Moderate Hypercholesterolemic Subjects: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, Sustainedand Controlled Study.

The consumption of aged black garlic (ABG) has been related to improvements in several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, the extent of the beneficial effects depends on the garlic aging process and the amount and type of chemical compounds accumulated. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of daily intake of a well-characterized ABG extract with a standardized S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) yield in combination with dietary recommendations regarding CVD risk factors in individuals with moderate hypercholesterolemia. Sixty-seven hypercholesterolemic individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels ≥115 mg/dL were randomized in a crossover, double-blind, sustained, and controlled intervention study. The participants consumed 250 mg (1.25 mg SAC)/tablet/day ABG or a placebo for 6 weeks, with 3 weeks of washout. Blood and pulse pressure and other CVD risk biomarkers were determined at the beginning and end of each intervention. At 6 weeks, ABG extract reduced diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (mean (95% CI) −5.85 (−10.5; −1.3) mm Hg) compared to the placebo, particularly in men with a DBP > 75 mm Hg. The consumption of an improved ABG extract with 1.25 mg of SAC decreased DBP, particularly in men with moderate hypercholesterolemia. The potential beneficial effects of ABG may contribute to obtaining an optimal DBP.

Effects of hesperidin in orange juice on blood and pulse pressures in mildly hypertensive individuals: a randomized controlled trial (Citrus study).

PURPOSE: To assess the sustained and acute effects, as well as the influence of sustained consumption on the acute effects, of orange juice (OJ) with a natural hesperidin content and hesperidin-enriched OJ (EOJ) on blood (BP) and pulse (PP) pressures in pre- and stage-1 hypertensive individuals. METHODS: In a randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants (n = 159) received 500 mL/day of control drink, OJ, or EOJ for 12 weeks. Two dose-response studies were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks. RESULTS: A single EOJ dose (500 mL) reduced systolic BP (SBP) and PP, with greater changes after sustained treatment where a decrease in diastolic BP (DBP) also occurred (P < 0.05). SBP and PP decreased in a dose-dependent manner relative to the hesperidin content of the beverages throughout the 12 weeks (P < 0.05). OJ and EOJ decreased homocysteine levels at 12 weeks versus the control drink (P < 0.05). After 12 weeks of EOJ consumption, four genes related to hypertension (PTX3, NLRP3, NPSR1 and NAMPT) were differentially expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hesperidin in OJ reduces SBP and PP after sustained consumption, and after a single dose, the chronic consumption of EOJ enhances its postprandial effect. Decreases in systemic and transcriptomic biomarkers were concomitant with BP and PP changes. EOJ could be a useful co-adjuvant tool for BP and PP management in pre- and stage-1 hypertensive individuals.

Interplay between dietary phenolic compound intake and the human gut microbiome in hypertension: A cross-sectional study.

In the present study, potential associations between dietary phenolic compounds (PCs), gut microbiota composition and targeted faecal metabolites were identified in a cross-sectional study including grade 1 hypertensive (HT) and normotensive (NT) subjects. We performed comprehensive quantification of PC intake, together with 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the gut microbiota, and faecal and plasma short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) determination. The results showed multiple-way relationships between PCs from several plant-based foods and 25 bacterial taxa previously defined as discriminant biomarkers among groups. Remarkably, coffee PCs were positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, faecal SCFAs, Bacteroides plebeius and Bacteroides coprocola in HT and negatively associated with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Christensenellaceae R-7 in NT. Olive fruit PCs were positively associated with Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, Christensenellaceae R-7 and plasma SCFAs in NT. These interplays with discriminant bacterial taxa in HT and NT subjects highlight the potential role of specific PCs as gut microbiome modulators in either the pathogenesis or prevention of hypertension.