Matzo ball soup may help lower high blood pressure

Friday April 3, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- New research has come to light suggesting that Matzo ball soup, a Passover favorite, may lower blood pressure. Often touted as “Jewish Penicillin,” the soup may actually work as an ACE inhibitor. ACE, which stands for Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme, has anti-hypertensive (blood pressure lowering) properties when it is inhibited.

The study, originally published in The American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, makes promising claims regarding the use of “functional foods” that help curb hypertension. Researchers highlighted dried bonito, sardines, skipjack tuna and wakame seaweed in their study. Yet, the study also points out that the breast muscle of the chicken is not sufficient to extract materials needed to curb high blood pressure.

Titled “Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme-Inhibitory Peptides Obtained from Chicken Collagen Hydrolysate,” the study focuses on an enzyme taken from the collagen found in the legs of the chicken. Chicken legs are made from keratin and are rich in collagen. The American Chemical Society’s press release states that while chicken legs are not a common ingredient for soup in the U.S., they are used in other countries.

The research team consisted of Japanese researcher Ai Saga and a number of colleagues. They were able to locate four different proteins that could act as ACE inhibitors, and found that the proteins had a prolonged effect. The ACE inhibitory materials used in the study could all be easily incorporated into a normal, healthy diet.

While chicken legs often have an unpleasant appearance and odor, the researchers were able to extract the collagen by putting it into an “aqueous acid solution,” or a solution of acid and water. After extracting the collagen, researchers were able to strip away the color and smell of the collagen by using an enzyme derived from the Aspergillus mold. The final product was reportedly able to find its way into the blood stream 2 hours after initial ingestion.

The main components of matzo ball soup - chicken broth, matzo balls and chicken meat - were not implicated to have anti-hypertensive properties by the study. Matzo balls are small balls made from unleavened bread-meal and are traditionally consumed each year on Passover in chicken soup. Passover is set to fall on April 8 this year.

(By Will Levine, and edited by Heather Kelley)