Irish seaweed could prove boon in battle against high blood pressure

A common Irish seaweed could be used to reduce blood pressure, according to findings by Teagasc food scientists.

Members of the NutraMara marine research group, the scientists in Teagasc’s facility at Ashtown, Co Dublin, have found a renin-inhibitory peptide in the seaweed palmaria palmata, commonly known as dulse, a significant find as renin-inhibitory peptides have not been found in seaweed species before.

Commonly featured in pharmaceutical drugs, renin inhibitors are bioactive agents which are used primarily in the treatment of hypertension.