Garcinia kola seed supplementation reduces the blood pressure in patients with high normal blood pressure or grade I hypertension: a single center, single arm non - randomized clinical trial

Objective: Effect on blood pressure and safety of Garcinia kola seed supplementation in patients with high normal blood pressure (BP) or grade I hypertension (HTN). MethodsDesign, setting and participants: A single center, single arm non -randomized clinical trial in patients with high normal BP or grade I HTN conducted between January and May 2019 in one teaching hospital in Cameroon.Blood pressure was measured using Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) before and after the intervention.Participants were 25 adult patients with high normal BP or grade I HTN newly diagnosed and naïve to any antihypertensive treatment.Intervention: Daily supplementation with 2 seeds (10 grams each) of Garcinia kola.Follow-up 30 days. Main outcome measure: Absolute change from baseline to final visit in median BP.Results: Twenty-four participants were analyzed (median age 56 [41-62] years).One participant was lost to follow-up.The median blood pressure at Day 30 vs. baseline was significantly lower (123 mmHg vs. 136 mmHg, difference -13 mmHg [95% CI, -10 to -18 mmHg], p<0.01; and 76 mmHg vs. 84 mmHg, difference -7 mmHg [95% CI, -4 to -13 mmHg], p<0.01; respectively for systolic and diastolic blood pressure).No serious adverse effect was observed.Conclusion: Garcinia kola seed supplementation in patients with high normal or grade I hypertension is safe and reduces significantly their BP.