A recent study suggests that egg white contains a substance that can lower blood pressure and contrast hypertension just like pharmaceutical drugs
Another study suggests that egg white (albumen) contains a protein that favors the lowering of blood pressure, and might therefore be useful to contrast hypertension. For those worried about cholesterol, there should be no problem as long as you stay away from the yolk.
Now back to the study: researchers from Clemson University and Jilin University presented their work at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Dr. Zhipeng Yu and colleagues discovered that a peptide contained in the albumen has the capacity to block the action of ACE, the angiotensin-converting enzyme, which is believed to be involved in causing increases in blood pressure. In an ACS statement, Dr. Zhipeng Yu suggested there is proof that a substance contained in egg white can lower blood pressure as much as a low dose of Captopril, a drug for the treatment of hypertension. For their study, Yu and colleagues used a peptide called RVPSL. The tests conducted allowed the scientists to discover that this substance is an ACE inhibitor, just like drugs such as Captopril, Vasotec and Monopril. This peptide, like several antihypertensive drugs, possesses the ability to inhibit the action of ACE, a substance produced by the body that leads to an increase in blood pressure. Tests carried out on animals have shown positive results, namely that RVPSL does not seem to have any toxic effects and is effective in lowering blood pressure in a similar way to small doses of antihypertensive drugs. Dr. Yu highlights that these results support previous observations on the topic and are sufficiently promising to justify proceeding with further research on the beneficial effects of the contents of egg white to contrast hypertension.
Scientific articles below:
- Egg ovotransferrin-derived ACE inhibitory peptide IRW increases ACE2 but decreases proinflammatory genes expression in mesenteric artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats. (Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 May 27. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201500050) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.201500050/full
- Egg-derived tri-peptide IRW exerts antihypertensive effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats.(PLoS One. 2013 Nov 29;8(11):e82829. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082829. eCollection 2013.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3843735/
- Molecular targets of antihypertensive peptides: understanding the mechanisms of action based on the pathophysiology of hypertension. (Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Dec 24;16(1):256-83) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4307246/
- Differing statistical approaches affect the relation between egg consumption, adiposity, and cardiovascular risk factors in adults. (J Nutr. 2015 Jan;145(1):170S-6S. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.194068) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527676