The findings of this study suggest that in obese prehypertensive women, short-term daily intake of GTE may decrease blood pressure.

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01643434.

Capillary rarefaction and microvascular endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive patients responded favorably to long-term pharmacological treatment.

No abstract

Obesity is the major risk factor for the development of hypertension. This association accentuates the risk of cardiovascular disease, as it is frequently accompanied by the components of the metabolic syndrome. This randomised open parallel study evaluated the chronic effects of moxonidine--a selective imidazoline receptor agonist--on blood pressure, plasma catecholamines, leptin, insulin and components of the metabolic syndrome in obese hypertensives. Amlodipine was used as the control drug. Our results showed that moxonidine and amlodipine significantly reduced blood pressure when measured using the oscillometric method and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. Moxonidine therapy decreased systolic blood pressure from 160.4 +/- 2.4 to 142.1 +/- 3.3 mmHg (p < 0.005) and diastolic blood pressure from 102.4 +/- 1.3 to 89.7 +/- 1.6 mmHg (p < 0.005) after 24 weeks of treatment. Moxonidine administration reduced the supine arterial plasma levels of adrenaline from 63.2 +/- 6.6 to 49.0 +/- 6.7 pg/ml (p < 0.005), the supine arterial plasma levels of noradrenaline from 187.9 +/- 10.7 to 149.7 +/- 13.2 pg/ml (p < 0.01) and the orthostatic venous plasma levels of noradrenaline from 258.6 +/- 25.0 to 190.3 +/- 16.4 pg/ml (p = 0.03). Those variables were not changed by amlodipine. The plasma levels of leptin and insulin 120 min after a glucose load decreased after moxonidine administration from 27.2 +/- 3.5 to 22.6 +/- 2.9 pg/ml (p < 0.05) and from 139.7 +/- 31.2 to 76.0 +/- 15.2 U/ml (p < 0.05), respectively. Amlodipine, however, did not modify those variables. This study showed a comparable reduction in blood pressure with both antihypertensive drugs. Moxonidine decreased sympathetic nervous activity, improved insulin resistance and reduced the plasma levels of leptin.

Background. Hypertension and excess body weight are important risk factors for endothelial dysfunction. Recent evidence suggests that high-polyphenol dark chocolate improves endothelial function and lowers blood pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the association of chocolate 70% cocoa intake with metabolic profile, oxidative stress, inflammation, blood pressure, and endothelial function in stage 1 hypertensives with excess body weight. Methods. Intervention clinical trial includes 22 stage 1 hypertensives without previous antihypertensive treatment, aged 18 to 60 years and presents a body mass index between 25.0 and 34.9 kg/m2. All participants were instructed to consume 50 g of chocolate 70% cocoa/day (2135 mg polyphenols) for 4 weeks. Endothelial function was evaluated by peripheral artery tonometry using Endo-PAT 2000 (Itamar Medical). Results. Twenty participants (10 men) completed the study. Comparison of pre-post intervention revealed that (1) there were no significant changes in anthropometric parameters, percentage body fat, glucose metabolism, lipid profile, biomarkers of inflammation, adhesion molecules, oxidized LDL, and blood pressure; (2) the assessment of endothelial function through the reactive hyperemia index showed a significant increase: 1.94 ± 0.18 to 2.22 ± 0.08, P = 0.01. Conclusion.In individuals with stage 1 hypertension and excess body weight, high-polyphenol dark chocolate improves endothelial function.

Nutritional intervention for weight loss is one of the treatment options for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in patients with overweight or obesity. However, the effects of moderate energy restriction on OSA severity are not yet known. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of moderate energy restriction on OSA severity and CVD risk factors in obese patients with OSA. In this 16-week randomised clinical trial, twentyone obese subjects aged 20-55 years and presenting an apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥ 5 events/h were randomised into two groups: the energy restriction group (ERG) and the control group (CG). The ERG was instructed to follow an energy-restricted diet −3347·2 kJ/d (−800 kcal/d) and the CG was advised not to change their food intake. At the beginning and at the end of the study, participants underwent evaluation of the following: OSA (Watch-PAT200 ® ), nutritional parameters, blood pressure, sympathetic activity, inflammatory biomarkers, metabolic profile and endothelial function. The ERG (n 11), compared with the CG (n 10), had a significantly greater reduction in body weight (Cohen's d = −1·19; P < 0·001), in AHI (Cohen's d = −0·95; P = 0·04) and in plasma concentrations of adrenaline (Cohen's d = −1·02; P = 0·04) as well as a significantly greater increase in minimum O 2 saturation (Cohen's d = 1·08; P = 0·03). Although energy restriction was not associated with significant improvements in CVD risk factors, medium-to-large effect sizes were observed, suggesting that the statistically non-significant difference between groups may be due to the small sample size. This study suggests that in obese patients with OSA, moderate energy restriction is able to reduce the parameters of OSA severity and sympathetic activity.

Recent studies have suggested that dietary Ca may have beneficial effects on adiposity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and blood pressure (BP). One potential mechanism underlying these benefits involves modifications in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca 2þ ] i ). The present study aimed to evaluate the associations of dietary Ca with adiposity, erythrocyte [Ca 2þ ] i , metabolic profile, BP, inflammatory state and endothelial function in healthy pre-menopausal women. In the present cross-sectional study, seventy-six women aged 18 -50 years were submitted to the evaluation of dietary intake, anthropometric parameters, body composition, erythrocyte [Ca 2þ ] i , biochemical variables, endothelial function and BP. A FFQ was used to assess usual dietary intake. Endothelial function was evaluated by serum concentrations of adhesion molecules and by the peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) method, using Endo-PAT 2000 w . Participants were allocated into two groups according to Ca intake: low-Ca group (LCG; n 32; ,600 mg/d) and high-Ca group (HCG; n 44; $600 mg/d). Women in the LCG compared with those in the HCG exhibited, after adjustments for potential confounders, higher values of BMI, waist circumference, waist:height ratio, percentage of body fat, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, leptin, diastolic and mean BP; and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol, adiponectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. Endothelial function assessed by PAT and [Ca 2þ ] i was similar in both groups. Subjects in the HCG had lower OR for prevalent overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, HDLcholesterol , 600 mg/l and systolic BP . 120 mmHg. The findings of the present study suggest that high Ca intake is inversely associated with some cardiovascular risk factors.