June 7/Geneva, Switzerland/University of Indonesia -- A new study, conducted at the University of Indonesia, has proven that an olive leaf extract is as efficient as the widely used pharmaceutical Captopril in lowering elevated blood pressure levels. The results were presented during this year’s Vitafoods in Geneva. According to the study, the extract significantly reduces total cholesterol and plasma triglyceride levels, an effect which was not observed with the conventional drug.
The randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active controlled study involved 232 participants aged 25-60 years with stage-1 hypertension (systolic blood pressure 140-159 mmHg, and/or diastolic blood pressure 90-99 mmHg) who were not taking any medication or were asked to stop it upon consent. A four-week run-in period without treatment was followed by eight weeks of treatment with either one 500mg extract caplet or one 12.5mg Captopril tablet, each taken twice a day. After two weeks, if participants showed no response to Captopril, they received a double dose of the drug.