amino acid · for high blood pressure
GABA
Proposed to act on blood vessels directly — a route that would not need it to reach the brain.
Say that in clinical terms
Proposed to lower blood pressure via peripheral vascular GABA receptors or by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, a mechanism that does not require crossing the blood-brain barrier.
How strong is the research?
Mixed evidence
The GABA drink lowered blood pressure — but so did the identical drink without GABA in it.
Industry funded
2 papers read, 1 supporting, 1 against.
Tested as: GABA-enriched fermented milk (~10-12 mg GABA per 100 ml serving, 100 ml/day) in the positive trial; a competing trial tested GABA added to a vinegar/dried-bonito fermented drink and found the base drink alone worked just as well
How much to take
10–12 mg