Promising hypotensive effect of hawthorn extract: a randomized double-blind pilot study of mild, essential hypertension.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Magnesium.

This pilot study was aimed at investigating the hypotensive potential of hawthorn extract and magnesium dietary supplements individually and in combination, compared with a placebo.

Thirty-six mildly hypertensive subjects completed the study.

Who Took Part

The study group was 10 subjects.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Magnesium and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Magnesium group a baseline to be compared against.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Magnesium study would be practical.

What Was Measured

At baseline, anthropometric and dietary assessment, as well as blood pressure measurements were taken at rest, after exercise and after a computer 'stress' test.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Analysis of Variance, Antihypertensive Agents, Anxiety, Blood Pressure, Crataegus, Drug Interactions and Exercise.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot study of Magnesium in 10 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2002 (Phytotherapy research : PTR), a journal based in England.

More context: the related Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc library page, all human trials.