A little olive oil on your salad can go a long way toward fighting high blood pressure, says a new study. According to the study, a diet combining unsaturated fats (olive oil) with nitrite-rich vegetables (lettuce, spinach, carrots) can protect you from hypertension. These findings help explain why some earlier studies have shown the benefits of the Mediterranean diet to high blood pressure sufferers.

The study, currently still in the animal-testing phase, looked at how well nitro fatty acids (formed by the combination of unsaturated fats and nitrite-rich veggies) regulated blood pressure in mice and found that following a Mediterranean diet did lower the blood pressure of normal mice. Mice designed to be resistant to the effects of nitro fatty acids still had elevated blood pressure.

“The findings of our study help to explain why previous research has shown that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular problems like stroke, heart failure and heart attacks,” the study authors said.

Read more about the power of olive oil at BlackHealthMatters.Com.

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