High Blood Pressure Foods: Following a heart-healthy diet may help lower your blood pressure. Eating foods with nutrients like potassium and magnesium may be especially helpful.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common preventable risk factor for heart disease.
High Blood Pressure Foods, Over 1 billion people around the world have high blood pressure. It is defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) values (the top number) of 130 mm Hg or more, diastolic blood pressure (DBP, the bottom number) of more than 80 mm Hg, or both.
Lifestyle changes and dietary modifications can also help lower blood pressure levels and reduce your risk of heart disease. Doctors may also prescribe medications to reduce blood pressure levels, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
High Blood Pressure Foods, Including certain foods in your diet, especially ones in potassium and magnesium, may help lower your blood pressure levels.
Here are the 10 best foods for high blood pressure.
1. Citrus fruit
High Blood Pressure Foods, Citrus fruits may help lower blood pressure. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that could help keep your heart healthy by reducing risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure.
Citrus fruits can include:
Grapefruit
Lemons
High Blood Pressure Foods, A 2021 study reviewed the last 10 years of information on fruit and management of high blood pressure. The researchers found that eating roughly 530 to 600 grams of fruit per day (about four oranges) was beneficial for blood pressure management. Researchers have linked citrus fruits, in particular with a lower possibility of high blood pressure.
High Blood Pressure Foods, Drinking orange and grapefruit juice may help reduce blood pressure. But grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with common medications for lowering blood pressure, so consult a healthcare professional before adding this fruit to your diet.
2. Salmon And Other Fatty Fish
High Blood Pressure Foods, Fatty fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fats, which have significant heart benefits. These fats may help reduce blood pressure levels by lowering inflammation.
A 2022 study looked at 71 studies and health information from 4,973 people to determine the relationship between omega-3 fats from the diet or supplements and blood pressure. The largest benefit for lowering blood pressure occurred with a daily amount between 2 to 3 grams of omega-3 fats (about a 3.5-ounce serving of salmon).
High Blood Pressure Foods, Higher omega-3 fat levels in the diet, including fish, may also lower the risk of high blood pressure in young adults with no history of heart disease or diabetes.
3. Leafy Greens
High Blood Pressure Foods, Swiss chard and spinach are two examples of leafy greens that may help lower blood pressure.
These leafy greens are a source of the nutrients such as potassium and magnesium, which support optimal blood pressure levels. For instance, 1 cup (175 grams) of cooked Swiss chard delivers 20% and 36% of your daily potassium and magnesium needs, respectively.
High Blood Pressure Foods, A 2022 study found that among females with high sodium levels from their diet, every 1 gram increase in daily potassium from the diet was linked with a 2.4 mm Hg lower SBP.
Spinach is a leafy green high in a plant-based compound known as nitrate, which may lower blood pressure. It’s also loaded with antioxidants, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which can support heart health.
High Blood Pressure Foods, An older, small study of 27 people found that those who ate 16.9 ounces (500 milliliters) of a high nitrate spinach soup daily for 7 days experienced reductions in both SBP and DBP, compared with those who consumed low nitrate asparagus soup.
More recent clinical research does not show a similar effect of high-nitrate leafy greens on lowering BP, so additional studies are needed to further explore these results.
4. Nuts And Seeds
High Blood Pressure Foods, Nuts and seeds may have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. Examples of nuts and seeds to eat as part of a balanced diet focused on lowering blood pressure include:
Flaxseed
Chia seed
Pistachios
Walnuts
High Blood Pressure Foods, Many nuts and seeds offer a concentrated source of nutrients important for blood pressure control, including fiber and arginine. Arginine is an amino acid needed to produce nitric oxide, an essential compound for blood vessel relaxation and blood pressure reduction.
While some research shows a positive relationship between eating nuts or seeds and lower blood pressure, the evidence is mixed in clinical studies.
High Blood Pressure Foods, Scientists believe the conflicting results could be because clinical studies involving nuts or seeds and blood pressure measurements might be too short in time to identify any potential effects on lowering blood pressure.
Longer studies may help researchers better understand how nuts or seeds may lower blood pressure.
5. Legumes
High Blood Pressure Foods, Legumes are rich in nutrients that help regulate blood pressure, such as magnesium and potassium. Numerous observational studies suggest legumes may help lower high blood pressure levels.
Legumes include:
Lentils
Beans
Peas
High Blood Pressure Foods, But a 2023 review of 16 clinical studies found no relationship between eating legumes and lowered blood pressure levels. The authors suggest that additional studies that are larger and longer may help explain how legumes correlate with lower blood pressure in other studies.
6. Berries
High Blood Pressure Foods, Berries offer impressive health benefits, including the potential to reduce heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure. Berries are a rich source of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, which are pigments that give berries their vibrant color.
Anthocyanins can increase nitric oxide levels in the blood and reduce the production of molecules that restrict blood flow. This may help lower blood pressure levels. But more research in humans is needed to confirm this.
Some berries that may reduce blood pressure include:
Blueberries
Raspberries
Chokeberries
Cranberries
High Blood Pressure Foods, A 2020 review of clinical studies found various types of berries, including whole, freeze-dried, or juice forms, reduced SBP by over 3 mm Hg. The strongest effect on SBP in this study was for cranberry juice.
7. Amaranth
High Blood Pressure Foods, Eating whole grains like amaranth may help lower your blood pressure levels. Studies show that diets rich in whole grains may decrease your likelihood of high blood pressure. You could also try these other whole grains if amaranth isn’t for you:
Whole oats
Quinoa
Brown rice
Corn
Whole grain bread
Whole wheat pasta
High Blood Pressure Foods, A review of 28 studies found that every 30-gram increase in daily whole grains eaten was linked with an 8% reduced chance of high blood pressure.
Amaranth is a whole grain that’s particularly high in magnesium. One cooked cup (246 grams) provides 38% of your daily magnesium need.
8. Olive oil
High Blood Pressure Foods, The oil from the fruit of the olive tree has numerous health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.
A 2020 review of studies found that due to the nutrients and plant-based compounds in olive oil, such as the omega-9 fat oleic acid and antioxidant polyphenols, it can be a beneficial part of a diet that aims to lower blood pressure.
9. Carrots
High Blood Pressure Foods, Crunchy, sweet, and nutritious carrots are a staple veggie in many people’s diets. Carrots are high in plant-based compounds that may be involved in various health processes, such as managing blood pressure.
A 2023 study found that the possibility of high blood pressure went down 10% for roughly every 100 grams of carrots (about 1 cup of grated raw carrots) eaten daily .
10. Eggs
High Blood Pressure Foods, Not only are eggs nutrient-dense but research also suggests that they can be part of a balanced eating plan for blood pressure management.
A 2023 study among 2,349 adults in the United States found that eating five eggs or more per week was linked with an SBP level that was 2.5 mm Hg lower than people who ate less than half of an egg per week. Egg eaters also had a significantly lower likelihood of developing high blood pressure over the long term.
High Blood Pressure Foods, Eating eggs also does not appear to be linked with other risk factors for heart disease beyond blood pressure, and the latest evidence seems to support adults in good health eating up to 3 eggs per day.
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