Eating a diet packed with lentils can dramatically lower blood pressure levels, a new study has found.
The study from the University of Manitoba in Canada found that adding lentils to the diet can effectively block the increase in blood pressure that occurs with age.
The research, conducted on rats, also found that eating lentils can reverse the changes that occur in blood vessels as a result of high blood pressure.
"These are amazing results, since they provide a non-pharmacological way of treating diseases associated with blood vessel dysfunction," said Dr Peter Zahradka, one of the lead investigators for the study.
The findings are a continuation of two studies published earlier this year, 'the Daily Express' reported.
One of these was a clinical trial which revealed how eating legumes - specifically a mixture of beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas - could improve blood flow to the legs of people with peripheral artery disease.
The second showed that lentils were effective in blocking high blood pressure.
"The most notable finding of the latest study was the fact that lentils could alter the physical properties of blood vessels so that they resembled the vessels found in healthy animals," Zahradka said.
