They are expensive and may produce side-effects such as dizziness. The pharmaceutical trade in ACE-inhibitors is worth billions of dollars every year. The Indian scientists report that natural compounds in bananas act in a manner similar to anti-hypertensive drugs in the Indian medical journal Current Science. The Manipal team studied six popular banana varieties and found that all had ACE-inhibiting properties, though the ripened bananas had a stronger action than unripe ones. Its findings focussed on the role played by potassium, a mineral known as an electrolyte.
Potassium works with sodium to help regulate fluid balance.
Last August, the American Heart Association advised that people with high blood pressure should eat a diet high in minerals and low in fat. Researchers on its nutrition committee put a group of 459 people with mild hypertension on three different types of diet over an eight-week period. All three diets were low in salt. The researchers found that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables alone can reduce diastolic pressure by 1.1mm of mercury. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.