An observational study led by Professor Hiroaki Kanouchi from Osaka Metropolitan University presents the primary evidence that eating sunomono – a Japanese vinegared side dish – correlates to lower blood pressure categorization in men.

The advantages of vinegar in a healthy weight loss program are well-known. Our research is the primary observational study of those advantages; we didn’t ask participants to vary anything.”

Professor Hiroaki Kanouchi from Osaka Metropolitan University

Previous studies have shown that subjects drinking 30 mL of vinegar every day had lower blood pressure but in addition lost weight that would account for the lower blood pressure. Sunomono provided a possibility to conduct an observational study to look at if vinegar consumption as a part of a traditional weight loss program correlated to differences in blood pressure.

Sunomono is a conventional side dish made with sliced cucumber or seaweed in rice vinegar, often with seafood garnish. It’s a traditional food, repeatedly eaten by older generations in Japan, with individually prepackaged portions available for purchase in supermarkets, making it a standard source of larger volumes of dietary vinegar.

This led the research team to recruit 1498 men and girls over 40 years old who were screened for hypertension or other disqualifying health conditions. 746 participants had their blood pressure tested and categorized based on the Japanese Society of Hypertension guidelines, then filled out a dietary surveyed, listening to sour vinegary food consumption, particularly sunomono.

“Vinegar is tough to look at because it is not an enormous ingredient in meals; you may get a bit in vinaigrette or pickles, but people rarely drink the pickle’s vinegar brine. In sunomono, vinegar is an element of the dish, people often finish it,” Professor Kanouchi explained.

While analyzing the health information and dietary survey, the researchers noticed an interesting trend.

“Men who didn’t habitually eat sunomono had significantly higher blood pressure, although their weight and BMI were the identical,” Professor Kanouchi announced. “We consider it might be promoting growth of fine gut microbiota, but we would wish more studies to substantiate that.”

Eating sunomono – no less than monthly – correlated with lower average blood pressure amongst men, even when adjusted for age, BMI, smoking history, and intake of sodium, potassium, and alcohol, amongst other aspects. This means that eating sunomono could already be having a positive impact on health.

“We will not be sure how the vinegar causes these health advantages; increasing vinegar consumption doesn’t result in further improvement in blood pressure. Nonetheless, weight loss program is one in every of the simplest things to vary! I need everyone to know that even occasionally eating sunomono could make a difference in blood pressure,” Professor Kanouchi concluded.

Source:

Osaka Metropolitan University