A Passover staple, chicken soup with matzoh balls, seems even healthier this year. Japanese researchers extracted collagen from chicken legs and tested its ability to act as an ACE inhibitor to lower blood pressure.
Previous studies have indicated that chicken breasts contain collagen proteins that have effects like ACE inhibitors, but the amount was too small to be useful.
The new study, led by Dr. Ai Saiga, identified four different proteins in the extracted collagen mixture that were high in ACE-inhibitory activity. When given to rats, the proteins produced a prolonged and significant decrease in blood pressure.
Matzoh balls weren’t used in the …read more

Blood pressure control is critically important for pregnant women and is a significant risk factor for preeclampsia. Up to now, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have not been prescribed for women past their first trimester because they’re known to cause birth defects. A study of 29, 507 infants suggests that ACE inhibitors, such as captopril and lisinopril, may also cause birth defects in the first trimester as well. Birth defects resulting from ACE inhibitor use in later pregnancy include:

Bone abnormalities in the skull
Inhibition of growth
Fatal kidney damage