Eating raisins and soy appears to help ward off high blood pressure, according to two studies presented on Sunday, AFP reported.

Munching on a handful of raisins three times a day helped people with slightly elevated blood pressure lower their numbers after several weeks, said one of the studies.

Researchers think it may have to do with the high level of potassium in the shriveled, dried grapes.

A second study on soy showed that daily intake of foods like tofu, peanuts and green tea helped lower blood pressure in more than 5,100 white and African American people aged 18-30.

Soy and the isoflavones it contains work by boosting enzymes that create nitric oxide, which in turn helps to widen blood vessels and reduce blood pressure, a researcher explained.

(China.org.cn April 5, 2012)

法新社報道，據周日展示的兩份研究顯示，食用葡萄干、大豆貌似有助于防御高血壓。

其中的一份研究表示，每天三次食用少許葡萄干數周后，血壓稍微偏高人的血壓得到降低。

研究人員認為，這可能與葡萄干中鉀含量高有關。

另外一份研究表明，每天食用豆腐、花生、綠茶等食物降低了5100余名18至30歲美國白人和非裔美國人的血壓。

一名研究人士解釋說，黃豆以及其中含有的異黃酮可以使得幾種酶增多，這些酶可制造出氧化一氮，從而起到擴張血管，降低血壓的作用。