7 Ways to Naturally Lower High Blood Pressure through Diet

Despite being largely well controlled through medications, high blood pressure or hypertension still contributes to roughly 1 in 7 deaths in the US each year. This is because the condition raises our risks of developing heart disease, the number-one cause of all deaths, and stroke, the number-four cause of all deaths. Because of these risks associated with high blood pressure, it is important to consider not only medications, but also other means of reducing hypertension.

Too often, we see reducing such risks as a problem for other people but high blood pressure does affect a considerable percentage of the population. Among Canadians, roughly 19% suffer from the condition. In Australia, Britain and the US, the numbers are all around the 30% mark. In addition, the percentages of people with prehypertension, or higher than normal blood pressure is also considerable with 25% of the US and 20% of the Canadian population affected. Given these numbers, it is clear that we should all be taking measures to reduce our risks.

Much has been written about the benefits of exercise and good diet in reducing our chances of developing hypertension, but when it comes to diet, the story never seems to be finished. Ongoing research continues to highlight the benefits of including specific foods in our diets as a means to reduce our risks. In some cases, the benefits are small while in others, they can be considerable. In any case, however, expanding our diet to include such foods is relatively easy way to reduce our health risks.

The following are 7 foods and supplements that have been found, in recent years, to lower high blood pressure.

Milk

According to analysis by scientists from Harvard University studying the diets of 30,000 women, those women who had 2 or more servings of low-fat milk each day had a 10% lower risk of developing hypertension as compared to women who drank milk or had milk products less than once per month. At the same time, those women taking calcium and vitamin D supplements did not receive this benefit.

Beets

Researchers from Queen Mary University found that the juice from beets or beetroot has the ability to lower blood pressure for 24 hours following consumption. When study participants had a single cup (250ml/8 fl oz.) of the juice, researchers observed a 3 to 4% reduction in blood pressure for those with moderate hypertension. While this may not seem like much, blood pressure that is 33% above normal is considered a serious problem so the reductions observed in the study demonstrate a significant benefit.

Dark Chocolate

It is hard to believe that something that seems as decadent as chocolate can be good for your health, but dark chocolate continues to show beneficial health effects. With respect to hypertension, researchers from the University of Adelaide analyzing a number of other studies determined that dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure by roughly 3% with the result being a 20% reduction in the risk of stroke or heart attack over a 5 year period. However, it does not reduce blood pressure in those with prehypertension. The only issue, for some, might be getting that daily dose of dark chocolate.

Watermelon

Even though we might think of watermelon as little more than water, it is a good source of nutrients and research from Florida State University finds it is also good for reducing blood pressure. Their research found that in those with prehypertension or mild hypertension, regular daily consumption of watermelon reduced blood pressure levels by as much as 5%. Again, this is a considerable reduction in blood pressure.

Whey Protein

As a by-product of cheese production, whey is usually sold to athletes in a processed form for use in building muscle mass. However researchers from Washington State University have found that the supplement also has the ability to reduce blood pressure. Their research found that consuming only 28g of the supplement daily was enough to reduce blood pressure in those with prehypertension or mild hypertension by roughly 6%. In other studies that have analyzed similar reductions, lowering blood pressure by this amount has led to 35% to 40% reductions in the risks of dying from a stroke.

Grape Seed Extract

As marketed as it is by supplement producers, grape seed extract does have significant benefits in reducing hypertension. Researchers from the University of California determined that in those with serious hypertension, grape seed extract was able to reduce blood pressure by as much as 8% for 12 hours after being taken in those who were overweight and obese. Subsequent studies have found similar beneficial effects for those with prehypertension.

Potassium

Although reducing salt is often the goal in trying to reduce hypertension, potassium acts in opposition to the effects of salt so increasing potassium intake is an important way to reduce blood pressure. Researchers from Loyola University Health System have found that the lower the ratio of salt to potassium in our urine, the lower is our risks of heart disease and stroke. Getting the minimum salt and maximum potassium into our systems reduces these risks by 20%. Potassium can be obtained as supplement but is readily available in bananas, potatoes, tomato sauce and orange juice to name but a few sources.

So there you have it, 7 additions to diet to reduce the possibility of developing high blood pressure. Just make sure that if you are trying to control hypertension naturally that you make your doctor a participant of the program

In addition to these specific foods just described, it is also important to consider the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet for reducing high blood pressure. The intent of the diet is to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables while adding low-fat dairy and whole grains. If it sounds like many other healthy diets, it is for the most part, but it has shown to be of considerable benefit by a number of studies.

If you or someone you know has high blood pressure and is looking to find alternatives, consider joining the hypertension forums to learn and to share.

Related Links

http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm
http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3483991/k.34A8/Statistics.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080611.htm
http://www.aihw.gov.au/cvd/high_blood_pressure.cfm
http://www.hypertensiontrust.org/research.htm
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/short/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.107821v1
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.153536v2
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/39
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/short/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.103523v1
http://www.nature.com/ajh/journal/v24/n1/full/ajh2010142a.html
http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/24/1_MeetingAbstracts/564.4
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S095869461000141X
http://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495%2809%2900245-5/abstract
http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/21/6/A881-d
http://www.physorg.com/news152212697.html