Lee Swanson Research Update

Quercetin Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

November 2007

Quercetin, a natural antioxidant flavonol mostly associated with onions, may reduce blood pressure (BP) by an average of five millimeters of mercury, according to new research.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, said to be the first to report the blood pressure-lowering activity of this flavonol, found a daily 730 mg supplement of quercetin led to significant reductions in the blood pressure of 22 people with high blood pressure (hypertension).

Hypertension, defined as having a systolic and diastolic blood pressure greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, affects about 600 million people worldwide and is associated with over seven million deaths.

Building on science from animal studies reporting a potential hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) role for the flavonol, researchers from the University of Utah recruited 19 men and women with pre-hypertension (average BP 137/86 mmHg) and 22 hypertensives (average BP 148/96 mmHg). The subjects were randomly assigned to receive a daily supplement of quercetin (730 mg) or placebo for 28 days.

Researchers report that the hypertensives receiving the quercetin supplement experienced reductions in systolic and diastolic BP of seven and five mmHg, respectively, compared to placebo. No BP changes were observed in the pre-hypertensives as a result of either intervention.

"These data are the first to our knowledge to show that quercetin supplementation reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects," researchers said.

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