Study Finds Gazpacho Reduces Risk Of Hypertension

Spanish researchers have found that frequent consumption of gazpacho – a soup containing tomato, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, etc. – helps reduce blood pressure. For the study, researchers analyzed the impact of gazpacho consumption on 3,995 individuals who were participating in a larger study of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. They found that gazpacho had a protective effect on arterial pressure despite the soup’s salt content. The reason may be that “bioactive elements of gazpacho counteract the effect of salt ingestion,” researchers said. Gazpacho is rich in carotenes, vitamin C and polyphenols. They suggested that the risk of hypertension may be reduced by eating gazpacho by as much as 27 percent in some individuals.