Health benefits of coconut are not unknown to the world. Coconut oil, in specific, has been dominating the health and beauty market since quite some time now. From its indispensable space in the culinary word to being a star ingredient in most beauty products - health experts have, for long, vouched for its innumerable benefits.
A recent study shows how coconut consumption when coupled with regular exercising can prove beneficial in combating high blood pressure. "The possibility of using coconut oil as an adjuvant to treat hypertension adds to the long list of benefits associated with its consumption," said co-author Valdir de Andrade Braga from Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil. The reduction in blood pressure might be explained by the improvement of the reduced baroreflex sensitivity and by the reduction in oxidative stress in the serum, heart and aorta - key factors regulating blood pressure, the researchers said.
The team conducted experiments on spontaneously hypertensive rats for a span of five weeks. It was found a combination of coconut oil and exercise training was able to reduce weight gain as compared to those rats that were given saline but were not exposed to the exercise training. "Our next step is to start some clinical trials in order to verify whether we can reproduce those findings in hypertensive human patients," Braga said.
"This is an important finding as coconut oil is currently being considered a popular 'superfood' and it is being consumed by athletes and the general population who seek a healthy lifestyle," he added.
