Spicing up your diet could help lower blood pressure

A new study shows that adding herbs and spices to your diet may do more than improve the flavor. Researchers from Penn State University and Texas Tech University examined the cardiometabolic effects of incorporating mixed herbs and spices into an average American diet in adults at higher risk for cardiometabolic disease. The study included 71 participants who ate diets with 6.6, 3.3 and 0.5 grams per day of herbs/spices for four weeks. The three study diets did not show any differences in cholesterol or blood sugar levels. However, when the diet with the most herbs and spices -- the equivalent of about 1.5 teaspoons -- was eaten, 24-hour blood pressure levels were improved compared to the diet with the lowest amounts of herbs and spices.