Red wine can help lower blood pressure, study finds

Three glasses of red wine a week can help lower high blood pressure, a new study has discovered.

A study of 900 adults discovered a link between foods rich in flavonoids, including berries, apples, tea, as well as red wine, and lower blood pressure.

While mounting research has shown flavonoids can improve heart health, the team from Queen’s University in Belfast and Germany’s Kiel University said this was the first time data has explained their link to lowering blood pressure.

The study, published in the American Heart Association journal, Hypertension, focused on the role played by microbes in the gut microbiome in metabolising flavonoids found in drinks such as wine, which then worked to bring down blood pressure.

Professor Aedin Cassidy, chair and professor in nutrition and preventive medicine at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s said: “Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects, and this study provides evidence to suggest these blood pressure-lowering effects are achievable with simple changes to the daily diet."

As always, moderation is key. The study found some three glasses of red wine per week was the required dose for achieving the desired result on blood pressure, while 80 grams of berries a day was also found to be beneficial.