Is this the diet pill that could lower your blood pressure?

A SUPPLEMENT has been discovered that could slash blood pressure by tricking the body into diet mode.

After six weeks of taking the pill, more than half of people in a study saw their high blood pressure fall. If confirmed in a larger trial, this could lower the risk of a heart attack by a quarter.

The study looked at a form of vitamin B3 called nicotinomide riboside, which boosts levels of a compound that plays a vital role in stopping arteries from stiffening, causing high blood pressure. The process is also activated to

‘Interesting, but very early’

protect the body when someone is low on calories.

For the 13 of 24 study participants with elevated blood pressure, their reading for systolic blood pressure fell by around ten points after six weeks of taking the supplement.

Senior author Professor Doug Seals of the University of Colorado, whose work was published in the journal Nature Communications, said: ‘This was the first study to give this compound to humans over a period of time. We found it is well tolerated and appears to activate some of the same key biological pathways that calorie restriction does.’

But British experts called for more research. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at Glasgow University, said: ‘We have had results from such small studies in the past which have not been replicated – so it’s interesting, but very early.’