Overview
Your heart drives blood to multiple organs in your body. Your heart’s robust muscles move blood through major blood vessels and produce enough force to push the fluid into smaller veins that deliver this life-sustaining fluid to different body parts. If the blood systolic pressure exceeds 120 mmHg, you are at risk of hypertension and should take corrective measures. However, once your blood pressure readings cross 140 mmHg, you should see a doctor as you are likely to suffer from other health issues.
Unfortunately, hypertension is a global “silent killer” disease that affects more than 1 billion people. Almost 50% of all adults in the US, (more than 100 million) have hypertension, and only 24% of these individuals are under medication. The situation doesn’t look pretty stateside because hypertension is a leading cause of death for close to a million people.
Hypertension is largely a result of lifestyle choices, which is encouraging for those willing to implement diet and exercise changes.
Despite the grave figures surrounding high blood pressure, the condition is mainly a result of poor lifestyle habits. A high-fat and high-salt diet are notable causes of hypertension. Other factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure are:
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Tobacco use and alcoholism
- Stress
- Obesity
- Family history
- Other conditions like endocrine failure and diabetes
The first step to countering hypertension is to get your blood pressure readings. If the values exceed 120 mmHg, you are in the red and should seek medical help to lower your blood pressure readings to manageable levels. Most people can identify hypertension during a routine medical check-up and then decide whether lifestyle changes or medication is the best route to remedy the issue.
Studies have focused on how nutraceutical products may play a limited, but crucial role, in helping to lower one’s blood pressure.
There are also multiple nutritional elements that you can use to stabilize your blood pressure. This whitepaper will cover nutraceutical products, which may help lower your blood pressure. Many of the nutraceutical products we reference in our previous whitepaper on heart health are also solid options. These products could improve heart health by lower one’s blood pressure and improving LDL cholesterol levels.
Some of the products mentioned here could help you.
For example, most people do not need to take potassium or Vitamin C supplements, as both can easily be included in your diet. Moreover, people may experience hypertension because they have a deficiency of a certain vitamin. Excess consumption of these vitamins will, in most cases, not help a person who is already consuming enough of these Vitamins in their diet.
CoQ10 and magnesium supplements, which are both also used for heart health, are two solid options. There is sufficient evidence, discovered through studies and randomized controlled trials, to confirm that these supplements can help boost heart health and lower one’s blood pressure.
Magnesium and Blood Pressure
You can boost magnesium levels using supplements or through dietary intervention. Some foods with adequate magnesium include spinach, nuts, brown rice, and black beans. Magnesium can help with a variety of health conditions, including hypertension.
Generally, magnesium lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. Magnesium counteracts the effect of calcium to induce vasoconstriction along blood vessels. Additionally, magnesium has antioxidant properties that downplay oxidative injuries in blood vessels. This is one of the key reasons why magnesium can also improve your heart health.
One study found that consuming 500-1,000MG of magnesium daily resulted in a 2.8-5.6 mm HG reduction in one’s blood pressure. The study also found that magnesium was more effective if it was combined with potassium and a low-sodium diet. Finally, the study also noted that magnesium helped to increase the effectiveness of anti-hypertensive drugs. It is ideal to talk to your doctor if you are planning to combine magnesium, or any other supplement, with medications used for hypertension.
Potassium and Blood Pressure
Potassium is an essential mineral that can be used for blood pressure regulation. Hypertension occurs when the body cannot expel excess water, which adds volume to the blood. Rigid blood vessels also contribute to high blood pressure. Nevertheless, potassium reduces sodium in the body, which tends to cause massive water retention by the kidneys. Additionally, the mineral relaxes the smooth muscles lining blood vessels.
Before taking potassium supplements for hypertension, you should consult your doctor. You can also incorporate foods with high potassium content in your diet like spinach, avocados, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
A report published in AHA demonstrated that potassium could help to lower one’s blood pressure. These findings were based on randomized controlled trials, and the study used potassium citrate and potassium chloride. It is clear that obtaining potassium through your diet or supplementation is an ideal method to help lower your blood pressure. Furthermore, it can be helpful to combine potassium with magnesium to help lower your blood pressure.
Vitamin C and Blood Pressure
Vitamin C deficiency can increase your risk of experiencing hypertension. Vitamin C plays multiple roles in safeguarding your cardiovascular health. The vitamin critically improves the ability of hypertension medicines to lower your blood pressure. Secondly, the vitamin improves nitrous oxide, which helps expand endothelial walls. Additionally, vitamin C releases potassium ions to counteract high sodium levels and release excess water from the blood.
Why Vitamin C can lower your blood pressure
Shifting your diet towards healthy and organic foods is the best way to alleviate hypertension. The American Heart Association recommends a diet with minimal sugars, sodium, trans fats, and saturated fats. Additionally, managing stress and reducing risk factors can help. Therefore, you are better off losing weight if you are overweight or obese. It is also helpful to remove unhealthy habits like smoking and limit your alcohol intake.
There are medications prescribed to treat high blood pressure. Your doctor will often administer diuretics, Calcium blockers, and various enzyme inhibitors for hypertension.
Vitamin C is not a standalone treatment for blood pressure, but it can be one of many tools to combat hypertension.
Vitamin C is abundant in multiple fruits and vegetables. The nutrient doubles as an antioxidant to fight against free radicals. Additionally, you can reduce iron deficiency and have a solid immune response system with adequate levels of Ascorbic acid. Furthermore, Vitamin C plays a significant role in reducing the impact of hypertension on your body. Various research indicates that the supplemental form of Ascorbic acid works best to reduce high blood pressure. Although it certainly can’t be used as a standalone treatment for hypertension, Vitamin C can help lower your blood pressure in many cases.
Turmeric and Blood Pressure
Turmeric can lower your blood pressure, according to numerous studies. This is excellent news for those looking for natural solutions to prevent or manage high blood pressure. If you are trying to lower your blood pressure naturally or reduce the risk of developing hypertension, then turmeric is an excellent option to consider. However, if you already have hypertension and are taking blood pressure medication, it is definitely advisable to talk to your doctor about how turmeric can interact with your current medication.
Antioxidants and Anti-inflammatory products can help lower your blood pressure
Research has shown that antioxidants and anti-inflammatory products can play a role in lowering blood pressure. This is encouraging news for those suffering from high blood pressure, as they have the option of relying on nutraceutical products or taking blood pressure medication and pursuing other types of natural solutions on top of this. Furthermore, antioxidant products such as turmeric can also be taken beforehand, to potentially reduce the risk of developing hypertension. Turmeric has also has been shown to potentially alleviate the symptoms of several health conditions, including arthritis and diabetes to name a few.
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties are one of the many reasons why it is becoming such a popular nutraceutical product. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory effects that aid in the prevention of hypertension. Inflammation inside the body is dangerous because it can lead to arterial stiffness in the heart, elevating blood pressure. Consuming turmeric daily might aid with blood pressure regulation. Systemic inflammation has been shown to enhance arterial stiffness and contribute to the development of hypertension. Turmeric, on either hand, is capable of alleviating this.
Enough studies have been conducted to show that turmeric can help lower your blood pressure.
We evaluated several studies on how turmeric can lower your blood pressure, and some of the results look convincing. High blood pressure may increasingly activate platelet activity, which can result in negative health outcomes. This can result in decreased blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body, which can result in serious issues like a stroke or blood clots for example. However, turmeric has been shown to have anti-platelet characteristics, which makes it an interesting option to consider. Turmeric supplementation may be very useful for people struggling with serious hypertension issues that result from excess platelet activity. It is crucial to check with your doctor to see how turmeric interferes with other forms of medication, especially if you are considering higher-dose turmeric supplements.
Overall, it appears that more studies should be conducted on how effective turmeric is in preventing hypertension, and what exactly causes turmeric to do this. Some studies have shown that turmeric is able to lower blood pressure because it regulates at1 receptors located in the arteries. It appears that turmeric is useful in lowering blood pressure only in certain cases. Some of the studies have also noted that turmeric may likely be more effective in reducing systolic blood pressure, rather than diastolic blood pressure.
Turmeric is relatively safe and is worth taking for regulating blood pressure.
However, excessive use of turmeric should be avoided, especially if you are taking certain types of medications that could negatively interact with it. Furthermore, turmeric can cause other unrelated side effects such as an upset stomach or ulcers in some cases. If someone is scheduled for surgery, they must abstain from using it for a couple of weeks before the procedure. For any of these problems, it is advisable to see a physician before using turmeric, especially if you are taking blood pressure medication. It appears that turmeric can lower your blood pressure, but there may be other more suitable options for those with severe hypertension.
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