Bio-functional pickles that reduce blood pressure of rats.

Addition of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides to the pickles was studied in order to develop a new type of pickles that reduce blood pressure. Based on the outcome of these studies, a new type of fermentation bed composed of rice bran and white miso has been successfully developed. The advantage of such pickles is that they not only contain both GABA and ACE-inhibitory peptides, but also that their taste and flavor are excellent, with colors close to the original ones. The new type of pickles could temporarily reduce blood pressure in two types of rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats and NaCl-sensitive model rats. Thus, the newly developed pickles appear to be beneficial for pickle business.

Effect of insulin resistance associated with compensatory hyperinsulinemia on the long-term prognosis in patients with vasospastic angina.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance associated with compensatory hyperinsulinemia plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, including vasospastic angina (VSA). However, the effects of insulin resistance associated with hyperinsulinemia on the long-term prognosis in patients with VSA remain unclear. METHODS: A total of 265 selected patients with VSA and 56 control subjects with atypical chest pain were enrolled in the present study. Patients with VSA had a positive acetylcholine (ACh) provocation test with normal coronary angiograms, and control subjects had a negative ACh test and normal coronary angiograms. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was performed, and the plasma glucose and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) levels were measured before, and 30 min and 120 min (IRI 120) after the 75-g glucose load. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 90.0 months, thirty-one patients developed cardiac events, including 6 sudden cardiac deaths and 25 readmissions for acute coronary syndrome. Cardiac events occurred in 38.9% of the patients with an IRI 120 ≥ 80 µU/ml and only 1.6% of the patients with an IRI 120<80 µU/ml (log rank 77.220, p<0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that an IRI 120 ≥ 80 µU/ml (hazard ratio 27.49, 95% confidence interval: 4.66-162.10, p<0.001) was an independent predictor of cardiac events. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that insulin resistance associated with compensatory hyperinsulinemia increases the risk of cardiac events in VSA patients.