HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE &
BioZama™

UCI research finds that antioxidants increase nitric oxide and reduce hypertension!
Irvine, Calif., July 31, 2000 - A team of UC Irvine College of Medicine researchers has found that high blood pressure can be induced-and brought back to normal-by changing levels of highly reactive oxygen molecules, called free radicals and nitric oxide. They are currently being studied for their role in cardiovascular disease and other functions in the body.

The study, which appears in the August issue of Hypertension, is believed to be the first to prove that increases in free radicals found in the diet and the atmosphere reduce levels of nitric oxide and can cause high blood pressure. The research suggests that multiple polyphenols, antioxidants and flavonoids in the diet, including vitamins E and C, may help prevent and treat certain types of high blood pressure.

Dr. Nostratola Vaziri, Professor of Medicine, and his team found that rats, whose food contained ingredients that caused "oxidative stress," a chemical imbalance linked to heart disease, had lower amounts of nitric oxide and higher blood pressure than did rats fed with antioxidant BioZama™ enriched food.

The antioxidants helped to reduce blood pressure and reverse oxidative stress.

Dr. N. Vaziri: "This shows us that although hypertension is a highly complex disorder, it can arise from a number of causes. Nitric oxide and oxidative stress play a major role in regulating blood pressure. This study provides the first insight into the interaction between oxidative stress and nitric oxide. "

Dietary herbal supplements, like the BioZama™ , which contain polyphenols, a group of powerful antioxidants, can be regulators of blood pressure.
About 50 million people are affected by Hypertension, making it one of the most pervasive disorders in the United States. It is estimated by the American Heart Association to have contributed to the deaths of 210,000 North Americans in 1997, by bringing about heart disease, stroke and kidney disorders. In most cases, the cause of death was listed as "unknown".