With cardiovascular diseases representing the number one cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, nutraceutical manufacturers consider targeting blood pressure reductions one of the most important health benefits to pursue via dietary supplements. Polyphenol-rich compounds are among the most promising ingredients to include in dietary interventions aiming to reduce blood pressure.
 
Monteloeder, a global supplier of botanical ingredients and personalized nutrition products, announced positive results in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial, finding that its extract Metabolaid was able to significantly reduce blood pressure in slightly hypertensive participants.
 
“Polyphenols are natural extracts that have been extensively studied over recent years due to their antioxidant, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory capacities, in addition to their possible role in the prevention and management of several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases,” the authors of the study wrote. Recently, Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) and Lippia citriodora (LC) have attracted scientific interest for their potential use in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. In particular, HS and LC exert a potent antihypertensive activity.”
 
Researchers evaluated supplementation with Metabolaid extract vs. placebo in 80 unmedicated, slightly hypertensive participants for 84 days, concluded that daily supplementation with the extract was able to significantly reduce blood pressure. The most remarkable results were observed in the daytime measurements, particularly in systolic blood pressure, which showed a decrease of 5%.
 
“We are extremely encouraged by the results of this study and the expanded scientific evidence for the use of Metabolaid in support of cardiovascular health, and its potential role in helping to reduce the incidence of high blood pressure worldwide,” Jonathan Jones, chief scientific officer at Monteloeder, said. “This represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to science, innovation, and evidence-based ingredients.”
 
Metabolaid is a proprietary extract of hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora), botanical ingredients with high polyphenol content. Polyphenols are a category of natural compounds that have been extensively studied over recent years due to their studied impact on oxidative stress, blood pressure, and inflammatory response.
 
The researchers said the significance of the blood pressure benefits could be due to the fact that the polyphenols in the two respective ingredients may have different mechanisms of action, working in tandem.
 
“The synergistic effect may be attributed to the different mechanisms of action of each metabolite,” the authors concluded. “The mechanism of action of the polyphenols present in the nutraceutical used in our study (catechins and epicatechins) could be an increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ONSe), resulting in enhanced endothelium-dependent vasodilation.