High blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day and this is normal, but when it remains consistently high, even when resting, this can spell trouble. It means that your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body, and, while this process may seem harmless, over time it can cause hike the risk of developing deadly diseases like heart attack or stroke. To prevent the condition from escalating, it is important to make healthy lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure.
Eating a heart-healthy diet plays a key role in lowering blood pressure and studies have found an association between drinking certain beverages and lowering blood pressure.
Here are three blood-pressure friendly drinks:
Unsalted tomato juice
In a study published in Food Science & Nutrition, drinking unsalted tomato juice lowered blood pressure and LDL cholesterol in Japanese adults at risk of cardiovascular disease.
LDL cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood and having high levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood poses the same risk as having high blood pressure, such as heart disease and stroke.
In the study, 184 male and 297 female participants were provided with as much unsalted tomato juice as they wanted throughout one year.
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Beetroot juice
Beetroot juice may help lower your blood pressure, according to one study, which found that people who drank eight ounces of beetroot juice daily lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Nitrates, compounds in beetroot juice that convert into nitric acid in the blood and help widen and relax blood vessels, are thought to be the cause.
Furthermore, another study found that participants who drank 17.6 ounces of beet juice had a lowered systolic blood pressure within hours of drinking it, suggesting it has an immediate impact.
Hibiscus tea
Hibiscus tea, an herbal tea that’s made by steeping parts of the hibiscus plant in boiling water, have also been shown to lower blood pressure in several studies.
In one study, 65 people with high blood pressure were given hibiscus tea or a placebo. After six weeks, those who drank hibiscus tea had a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, compared to the placebo.
Echoing the findings, a 2015 review of five studies found that hibiscus tea decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 7.58 mmHg and 3.53 mmHg, respectively.
General dietary tips
High salt intake remains the biggest culprit of high blood pressure so cutting the amount of salt you eat is one of the quickest ways to lower your blood pressure.
According to Blood Pressure UK, an adult should eat no more than six grams of salt a day, but most people eat much more than this.
Part of the problem stems from the fact that salt is often hidden in processed foods such as bread, biscuits and breakfast cereals, and prepared ready meals or takeaways, so it is best to eat foods that are low in salt and stop using salt when cooking or at the table, advises the health site.
Upping fruit and vegetable intake can help to counter the negative effects of salt as they are good sources of potassium, which helps to lower blood pressure.
Exercising regularly can also help to lower blood pressure, as Mayo Clinic explains: “Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.”
Exercise also helps people to control their weight, which is essential to regulating blood pressure, according to the NHS: “Being overweight forces your heart to work harder to pump blood around your body, which can raise your blood pressure.
“If you do need to lose some weight, it’s worth remembering that just losing a few pounds will make a big difference to your blood pressure and overall health.”
