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Chicken soup for your heart?

Could collagen be used as a blood pressure medication?

by Lisa Nelson  |  1269 views  |  0 comments  |      Rate this now! 

I read some interesting research lately that I want to share, related to chicken and blood pressure.

We know that blood pressure is a significant risk fact for heart disease and stroke. It’s estimated that about 1 billion people worldwide live with high blood pressure. Being able to control high blood pressure through food selection is very important. The collagen in chicken is being researched for use as a blood pressure medication, with actions similar to ACE inhibitors (i.e. lisinopril).

Japanese studies have found four proteins in the chicken that contain collagen with actions similar to the blood pressure medication when tested in rats. Chicken legs and feet contain more collagen that chicken breast meat. (FYI: The legs and feet are the yellow part of a chicken leg with a nail on the end.) A “chicken collagen hydrolysate” was prepared in the study and fed to rats and the effects on blood pressure where examined. The rats showed a drop in blood pressure four hours after receiving the mixture orally, with the lowest blood pressure reading after eight hours.

Long-term studies showed improved blood pressure after one week of treatment, with a significant reduction after two weeks. The study states that the “chicken collagen hydrolysate” mixture used in the study is composed of foods that can be easily added to a typical daily diet. For individuals with high blood pressure, increasing intake of these foods will promote a normal blood pressure.

What I want to know is... who is going to eat a chicken leg/foot? How do the researchers think this will become a normal part of the diet? My question wasn’t answered in the study results. I’m thinking it’ll be made into a food additive that will allow certain foods to be marketed as “functional” for blood pressure reduction, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The title of this post was only used to catch your attention. I’m not recommending you eat more chicken soup to lower your blood pressure. There's way too much sodium added to soup for it to be beneficial!

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