Chios Mastic in Well-Controlled Hypertension: Findings From the HYPER-MASTIC Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ioanna Panagiota Kalafati, Anastasia-Areti Kyriazopoulou-Korovesi, Evangelia Mentsiou-Nikolaou et al.
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In 30 seconds
This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial assessed whether Chios mastic provides additional cardiovascular benefits in 106 adults with stable, well-controlled hypertension. Participants received 1500 mg/day, 2800 mg/day, or placebo for 3 months. The primary outcomes were changes in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure; vascular function and cellular markers were also assessed. Neither dose produced significant between-group differences in 24-hour systolic or diastolic blood pressure, and oxidative stress markers and proteasome activity were unchanged. In a predefined high-risk subgroup, supplementation was associated with transcriptomic changes in pathways related to endothelial junction organization and vascular integrity.
Key findings
- After 3 months, neither Chios mastic dose significantly changed 24-hour ambulatory systolic or diastolic blood pressure versus placebo.
- Oxidative stress markers and proteasome activity remained unchanged across treatment groups.
- In high-risk participants, supplementation induced transcriptomic changes involving endothelial junction organization and vascular integrity.
- Supplementation was well tolerated, with high adherence supported by dose-dependent increases in plasma masticadienonic and isomasticadienonic acids.
Why it matters
The trial found no additional blood-pressure reduction from Chios mastic in adults whose hypertension was already well controlled, so the findings do not establish a blood-pressure benefit in this population. The subgroup transcriptomic signal offers a possible biological lead concerning vascular pathways in people with higher residual cardiovascular risk, but it requires further investigation before its clinical significance is clear.
What to keep in mind
The intervention lasted 3 months, and the transcriptomic findings came from a predefined high-risk subgroup; their clinical significance is not established by the reported outcomes.