1. ¹Department of Medicine, Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2. ²DMV International, Veghel, The Netherlands

Correspondence: Dr. Raymond R. Townsend, University of Pennsylvania, 210 White Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 E-mail: townsend@mail.med.upenn.edu

^*Supported in part by an unrestricted grant from DMV International, The Netherlands.

Received 14 January 2004; Revised 26 May 2004; Accepted 13 June 2004.

Abstract

Background: Many patients seek complementary medicine treatments like neutraceuticals for common conditions such as hypertension.

Methods: We conducted a placebo-controlled prospective randomized crossover study in 10 hypertensive subjects to determine whether a single dose of a hydrolysate of bovine milk protein (designated C12 peptide; low and high dose), either alone or combined with alginic acid (low and high dose), reduced daytime blood pressure (BP), as determined by ambulatory BP monitoring.

Results: Within the five treatment regimens a significant reduction of 9.2 3.2 mm Hg in systolic BP at h 6 compared with h 2 occurred on the higher dose of alginic acid (1754 mg) combined with C12 (P = .02). The C12 peptide with the higher dose of alginic acid also showed a significant reduction of 6.0 2.0 mm Hg in diastolic BP at h 6 compared with h 2 (P = .015).

Conclusions: These preliminary data are encouraging and deserve testing in a larger and longer treatment trial.