Eggplant supplementation improves blood pressure and psychological state in stressed individuals

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study evaluated among 100 stressed participants with normal-high blood pressure (BP) or grade 1 hypertension the effects of 12 weeks of daily supplementation with 1.2 g/d of eggplant powder (providing 2.3 mg/d of acetylcholine) on BP, stress, and psychological state (PS).

Results showed that Eggplant powder intake significantly decreased the hospital diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at week 8 overall and in the normal-high BP group, and the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and DBP at week 12 overall and in the grade 1 hypertension group, compared to those of the placebo group. It also improved negative PS score at week 8 or 12 in the normal-high BP group.

In conclusion, the eggplant powder supplementation can improve the blood pressure and psychological state in stressed individuals. The functional substance responsible for these effects was estimated to be eggplant-derived choline ester, namely ACh.

Nishimura M, Suzuki M, Takahashi R, et al. Daily Ingestion of Eggplant Powder Improves Blood Pressure and Psychological State in Stressed Individuals: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):E2797. Published 2019 Nov 16