Dietary mushrooms reduce blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

The blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were significantly reduced by Maitake feeding for 8 weeks period beginning at a time when the animals were 10 weeks of age with well-established high blood pressure. There was no difference in the plasma total and free cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels between the Maitake fed animals and the control. On the other hand, Shiitake mushroom did not reduce the blood pressure, but significantly lower the plasma free cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid in compared with the control. The results suggest that dietary Maitake mushroom reduce the blood pressure.