It's wonderful how natural treatments -- think regular exercise, more sleep and better an improved diet -- can resolve a myriad of health issues without a drug. With those examples in mind, you'll be interested as I was in learning more about grape seed extract, a new way to lower your blood pressure.

Researchers studied the effect of grape seed extract on 24 patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. Patients were divided into three groups: Those who received either 150 or 300 milligrams of the extract or a placebo.

Those who were given grape seed extract experienced an average drop of 8 millimeters on the diastolic side and 12 milliliters on the systolic. Even better, those who took the larger 300-milligram dose lowered their LDL cholesterol levels too. In fact, the higher one's LDL levels were, the lead researcher said, the steeper the drop.

Just a reminder, you don't need to take a grape seed supplement if you juice your food. If you do, don't use more than a handful of grapes and even less than that if you're struggling with insulin problems.

EurekAlert March 26, 2006