Researchers say a regular bowl of gazpacho soup could be the key to beating high blood pressure.

The cold Spanish dish is made up of a range of superfoods including tomato, cucumber, garlic and olive oil.

Even though gazpacho contains salt, which people with high blood pressure are told to avoid, scientists at the University of Barcelona found that those who regularly had the dish saw their levels drop, the Daily Express reported.

And they believe the soup could be used to help prevent the condition, reducing the risk of developing hypertension by as much as 27 per cent.

The reason may be that bioactive elements of gazpacho counteract the effect of salt ingestion, according to Professor Rosa Lamuela, coordinator of the study.
The research, into the effects of a Mediterranean diet on people at high risk of cardiovascular diseases, looked at 3,995 eating gazpacho.

The latest findings were published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.