Rx for lower blood pressure

King’s College London researchers found that when healthy subjects ate 200 grams (about

11⁄ cups) of blueberries daily

2 for one month, their blood vessel function improved and their systolic blood pressure (the top number) decreased. In a further study, they discovered that when volunteers drank a blueberry drink daily, their blood pressure was reduced by 5 mmHg.—results comparable to a common blood pressure–lowering medication. The researchers credit blueberries’ anthocyanins—flavonoids that give the berries their rich pigment—for the positive effect on blood pressure, thanks to their ability to relax arteries.