Olive Leaf Extract Lowers Blood Pressure Comparably to Drug

Frutarom’s (Wadenswil, Switzerland) Benolea EFLA 943 olive leaf extract was shown to be as effective as the hypertension drug Captopril in lowering blood pressure, according to recent study results the company presented at the Vitafoods trade show in May.

Conducted at the University of Indonesia, the randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active controlled study involved 232 participants ages 25 to 60 years with stage-1 hypertension. During the treatment period, subjects were either given one 500-mg Benolea supplement or one 12.5-mg Captopril tablet, both taken twice a day.

According to Frutarom, the researchers found that both Benolea and Captopril effectively lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in a comparable manner, compared to baseline.

Moreover, Benolea was found to significantly reduce total cholesterol and plasma triglyceride levels, while the conventional drug did not. “Particularly in participants with high baseline triglyceride levels (>200 mg/dl), the reduction was remarkable: the triglycerides diminished by 53.13 mg/dl. Such positive effects were not observed in the Captopril group,” Frutarom stated.