What are Antioxidants? Can Antioxidants Lower Blood Pressure?

You may not realize it, but you have probably seen the battle between free radicals and antioxidants firsthand. Have you ever noticed that when you slice open an apple and leave it exposed to the air the uncovered fruit turns brown, but that if you pour a little lemon juice over the fruit it will stay nice and white? When the fruit has its protective skin removed, a reaction called oxidation occurs triggered by the fruit cells being exposed to the air which results in free radicals that damage the uncovered fruit cells.

A similar process can happen to the cells in our body when they are exposed to things like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals are even created when your body breaks down food and can damage DNA. The good news is that many of the foods we eat everyday provide important antioxidants that help protect our bodies and some, like Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), can also be naturally created by our body and may help protect the cardiovascular system, boost your immune system and possibly defend the body against cancer. CoQ10 in particular has also been shown to have the potential to help control blood pressure.

CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance that participates in the production of energy in the human body and large concentrations of CoQ10 are found in organs with high energy requirements, such as the heart. It is also used by the body as an antioxidant. CoQ10 has been the subject of numerous studies. In 2007 a major meta-analysis published in the Journal of Hypertension reviewed 12 clinical trials which included 362 patients. The researchers concluded that, “coenzyme Q10 has the potential in hypertensive patients to lower systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg without significant side effects.”(Rosenfeldt et al.)

The research for most antioxidants as a way to lower blood pressure naturally is still in the early stages and though most have been found to have positive results, the conclusiveness and consistency of the results vary significantly between individual substances.

For more information, please visit:
Bonakdar R, Guarneri E. Coenzyme Q10. American family Physician. 2005; 27 (6):1065-1070. Available at: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050915/1065.html. Accessed June 8, 2009.

Rosenfeldt FL, Haas SJ, Krum H, et. al. Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials. J Hum Hypertens. 2007 Apr;21(4):297-306. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17287847. Accessed June 8, 2009.

National Cancer Institute’s Questions and Answers About Coenzyme Q10. Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/coenzymeQ10/Patient/page2. Accessed Feb 23, 2010.

Antioxidants: MedlinePlus. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html#cat42. Accessed Feb 23, 2010.