Conscious eating and its impact on lowering blood pressure
Food trends constantly wax and wane, but there is one movement in the food industry that is here to stay: ‘conscious eating.’ This trend was recently confirmed by marketing insights firm McKinsey in an online survey targeting 8,000 consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany.1
During the survey, at least 70% of respondents indicated that they would like to be healthier, and felt food played an essential part in reaching that goal. Additionally, 50% of respondents across all age groups specified that healthy eating is a priority for them, and consequently, they look towards reducing their consumption of processed products, particularly foodstuffs containing a high percentage of salt and red meat. Here France leads the charge with 51% of consumers looking to reduce salt in their food, with the UK and US a close second at 43%.2
There is no doubt that when ‘conscious eating’ goes into hyperdrive, it can significantly impact human physiology. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a good example: following the diet can have a marked effect on lowering blood pressure markers in adults suffering from hypertension.3 In the main, the DASH diet focuses on ingesting foods that are rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, while limiting foods high in sodium, saturated fat and sugars, with a measurable effect on lowering blood pressure.4
How CholBiome®BP can help
For consumers looking to lower their blood pressure with the use of a supplement, our CholBiome®BP can assist. This science-backed formulation combines four natural ingredients to provide a multi-targeted mechanism approach for aiding hypertension and improving the cardiovascular health of consumers.
Its active ingredient, Lactobacillus plantarum (LPLDL®) is a patented, naturally occurring and proprietary strain with proven efficacy to regulate the metabolism of bile salts from the liver and has been shown in clinical studies to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. In combination with LPLDL, there are three other ingredients that make up CholBiome®BP.
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) plays a key role in energy metabolism in all cells and contributes to the normal function of the heart.5 While L-Arginine, a semi-essential amino acid, can assist in relaxing the endothelium or interior layer that lines blood vessels by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability to regulate vascular tone and contribute to vasodilation, while supporting normal blood circulation and pressure.6 Lastly, micronutrient, CoEnzyme Q10 provides antioxidant properties (ATP) essential to produce energy in cells. It plays an important role in cells with high energy requirements, such as cardiac cells to support effective endothelial function, vasodilation and normal blood pressure.7,8,9
How does CholBiome®BP work?
An independent study, carried out by the University of Pavia in Italy, investigated the efficacy of CholBiome®BP in pre-hypertensive adults. The independent clinical study ran over 12 weeks with 40 adults within the range of normal high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure 130-139mm Hgm diastolic blood pressure 85-89mmg).
Volunteers consumed one tablet daily, resulting in a statistically significant improvement in multiple CVD risk biomarkers. Results further indicate that by using this solution, systolic blood pressure was lowered by 3%; diastolic blood pressure by 3.4% with a decrease of total cholesterol by 6.6% and LDL cholesterol by up to 8.5%.10 Critically, the study showed that LPLDL was completely safe and well tolerated by consumers without any negative side effects.
In addition, the University of Reading conducted a study to investigate the cholesterol reducing capacity of LPLDL. This randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blind human intervention study was based on participants ingesting encapsulated LPLDL or placebo before breakfast or dinner for 12 weeks.
Results indicated the ability of LPLDL to positively impact on cholesterol levels with total cholesterol lowered up to 36.7%, and critically, LDL by 13.9%, while HDL levels increased by up to 4.5%.11 The study confirmed not only the safety of LPLDL, but also highlighted that in healthy adults, there is a similar or greater benefit to an individual taking 1.5-4g/day.
Using CholBiomeBP in the supplement industry
CholBiomeBP can now be white labelled by pharmaceutical and supplement companies to be used in their own branding in order to meet consumer demands head-on. As a finished formulation, brands can use CholBiomeBP to expand their heart health portfolio of products to assist consumers who want to or need to lower their blood pressure and support overall heart health in combination with diet and lifestyle modifications.
By including cholesterol and blood pressure reducing finished formulations like CholBiomeBP into your product range, pharma brands can take the first step in helping consumers on their journey to support cardiovascular health!
For more information on how ProBiotix Health can assist you in your heart health formulation journey, contact our team at optibiotix.com/contact/.
References
1,2, McKinsey, Hungry and confused: The winding road to conscious eating, October 2022
3,4 Mayo Clinic, DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure, accessed May 2023
5. EFSA Journal (2009). (9):1222
6. Dong JY et al. (2011). Am Heart J. 162(6):959-65
7. Rajapakse NW & Mattson DL. (2009). Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 36(3):249-55
8. Kumar A et al. (2009). Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 124(3): 259-268
9. Rosenfeldt FL et al. (2007). J. Hum. Hypertens. 21: 297-306
10. Pepe S et al. (2007). Mitochondrion. 7 Suppl: S154-67
11, 12. OptiBiotix via lpldl.com, University of Pavia and University of Reading Scientific Studies https://lpldl.com/scientific-studies/