A recent study led by scientists from the Hospital of Southern Medical University has found that quercetin, a natural compound found in many fruits and vegetables, may help lower blood pressure. This discovery is especially important as high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, two major health concerns around the world.
Quercetin is a plant pigment, or flavonoid, that gives many fruits and vegetables their color. It’s found in foods like apples, onions, berries, grapes, and broccoli. Researchers have long been interested in whether quercetin has health benefits, especially for the heart and blood vessels.
This new study, published in Nutrition Reviews, looked closely at 17 clinical studies involving 896 participants. The goal was to understand how quercetin affects blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
The most important finding was that quercetin significantly reduced both systolic blood pressure (the top number) and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number). This suggests that quercetin might be a useful natural supplement for managing high blood pressure.
However, the researchers noted that quercetin didn’t seem to have a major impact on overall cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
That said, when participants took quercetin for at least eight weeks, there were some encouraging changes. Their levels of HDL cholesterol—often called “good” cholesterol—increased, and their triglycerides—a type of fat in the blood that can raise the risk of heart disease—went down.
These changes are good for heart health because higher HDL helps remove bad cholesterol from the body, and lower triglycerides reduce the risk of clogged arteries.
Even though the results are promising, the researchers caution that more studies are needed. The people who took part in the studies had different health backgrounds. Some were healthy, while others had conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, or high blood pressure.
Because of this mix, it’s hard to say exactly how quercetin works in each group. The study designs also varied, which makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions for everyone.
Still, this study adds to growing interest in using natural compounds like quercetin to support heart health. High blood pressure is one of the most common risk factors for heart problems and strokes. Both of these conditions can be life-threatening and often develop silently over time. They share other risk factors too, such as high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
That’s why it’s important to take steps to prevent or manage these conditions. Regular physical activity, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight can all help. In some cases, people may also need medications or procedures to treat heart disease or reduce stroke risk.
This new study offers hope that quercetin could become part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Although it’s too early to say whether everyone should start taking quercetin supplements, the idea of using a safe, natural compound to help lower blood pressure is appealing. Researchers are continuing to explore how quercetin might work in the body and who might benefit most from it.
For now, enjoying a diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables that naturally contain quercetin is a smart step toward better heart health. As science continues to learn more, quercetin might one day become a helpful addition to the toolbox for preventing and managing heart disease and stroke.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies that vitamin D can help reduce inflammation, and vitamin K may lower your heart disease risk by a third.
For more health information, please see recent studies about foods that could sharp your brain, and results showing cooking food in this way may raise your risk of blindness.
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