Blue maize extract can improve blood pressure

Metabolic syndrome is known to increase the risk of premature death from coronary heart disease and stroke. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that the extract of blue maize may help in attenuating the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

• The researchers induced metabolic syndrome (MS) in rats by feeding them with either a high-sucrose diet (HC) or a high-cholesterol-high-sucrose diet (HS+C) for 12 weeks.
• For four weeks, blue maze extracts were administered to the rats by orogastric cannulation.
• Both HC and HS+C caused an increase in systolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides while decreasing the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The HS+C group also showed increases in abdominal adipose tissue.
• The treatment with blue maize extract enhanced the levels of HDL-C and decreased systolic blood pressure, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and epididymal adipose tissue weight.

The researchers concluded that blue maize can be a promising nutritional treatment for metabolic syndrome.

Learn of the other benefits of blue maize at Veggie.news.

Journal Reference:

Guzmán-Gerónimo RI, Alarcón-Zavaleta TM, Oliart-Ros RM, Meza-Alvarado JE, Herrera-Meza S, Chávez-Servia JL. BLUE MAIZE EXTRACT IMPROVES BLOOD PRESSURE, LIPID PROFILES, AND ADIPOSE TISSUE IN HIGH-SUCROSE DIET-INDUCED METABOLIC SYNDROME IN RATS. Journal of Medicinal Food. 1 February 2017;20(2):110–115. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2016.0087