Food Therapy: Lentils in Reduced Risk and Treatment of Hypertension

Kyle J. Norton

Intake of lentils regularly and daily may have a profound and therapeutic effect in reduced risk and treatment of high blood pressure, some scientists postulated

Lentil, a type of pulse and tiny legumes that can be cooked quickly and rich in protein and fiber is a bushy annual plant of genus Lens belongings to the Fabaceaefamily, native to Middle East.

Hypertension is a chronic medical condition characterized by abnormal high blood pressure.

The study to evaluate the lentil intake activity and risk of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) model by feeding semi-purified diet prepared with powder (30 %, w/w) from cooked whole pulses or a pulse-free control diet (n = 8/group) for 4 weeks showed that urine samples collected from rats fed with lentil pulse group reveal 27 different metabolites in compared only 7 in control diet rat group.

According to the differentiate assays, metabolites citrulline found in pulse group exerted a significant effect in blood pressure regulation via production of the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) whose bioavailability, is an important risk factor for reduced hypertension through arterial dilation by relaxings narrowed blood vessels and increasing oxygen and blood flow.

Further analysis, also discovered that several arginine-related compounds of NO synthase substrates and NO synthase arginine-based inhibitors with the same function in reduced high blood pressure expression were also detected in lentils but not in rat fed with control diet or other pulse powders.

Dr. Hanson M, the lead author, after taking into account of other con founders said, "Consumption of lentils increases the availability of arginine and several related compounds that could potentially elevate production of NO and contribute to the blood pressure-lowering effects of lentil-rich diets".

Additionally examination of the effect of lentils on arterial function in relation to arterial stiffness, lipid biochemistry and activation of select aortic proteins on 17-week-old male SHRs randomly assigned to groups (n=10/group) fed (a) 30% w/w green lentils, (b) 30% red lentils, (c) 30% mixed lentils (red and green) or (d) no lentils for 8 weeks with normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) groups (n=10/group) received either the mixed lentil or no lentil diet found that group fed with red lentils expressed a greatest effect in lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in compared to WKY mixed lentil groups compared to their controls.

The lentil diets group exhibited a reduced the media:lumen ratio of in SHRs which is one of the indication for detecting hypertension in compared control-fed SHRs but not on WKYs and the red and green lentils reduced arterial stiffness of SHRs but not WKYs.

SHR lentil groups also suppressed the aortic p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) phosphorylation function in regulated vasoconstriction, thus inducing vaso-relaxation and attenuated hypertension.

Taken together, lentils with different color may be considered as a functional food in reduced risk and  treatment high blood pressure without inducing any intolerant side effects. People with high risk of hypertension may consider to add a portion of lentil into their diet for preventive measure.


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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton, Master of Nutrients
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Lentil-based diets attenuate hypertension and large-artery remodelling in spontaneously hypertensive rats by Hanson MG1, Zahradka P1, Taylor CG1.(PubMed)
(2) Lentil consumption reduces resistance artery remodeling and restores arterial compliance in the spontaneously hypertensive rats by Hanson MG1, Taylor CG2, Wu Y3, Anderson HD4, Zahradka P5.(PubMed)
(3) Identification of urinary metabolites with potential blood pressure-lowering effects in lentil-fed spontaneously hypertensive rats by Hanson M1,2, Zahradka P1,3,2, Taylor CG1,3,2, Aliani M4,5.(PubMed)