Three foods have been identified by experts to help people with hypertension lower their blood pressure. The majority of people are aware that cutting back on salt can help prevent high blood pressure.
You can prevent hypertension, which affects one in three adults in the UK, with your diet in other ways as well. Particularly in older persons, high blood pressure is extremely prevalent. People may not be aware that they have it because there are typically no symptoms.
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However, because it places additional strain on your heart, blood vessels, and other organs including your kidneys, eyes, and brain, it is quite hazardous. It can raise your risk of developing severe illnesses like heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, renal disease, and vascular dementia if left untreated.
Therefore, there are significant advantages if people can stop using medicines before they become necessary. A study found that those who consumed 110g of tomatoes daily, or roughly a quarter of a tin’s worth of chopped tomatoes or a handful of cherry tomatoes, had a 36% lower risk of hypertension than those who consumed the fewest tomatoes.
Lycopene, the red antioxidant molecule that gives tomatoes their color, and potassium in tomatoes were found to have a beneficial effect in a study involving 7,056 individuals that was published in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension.
According to dietician Dr. Linia Patel, “Tomatoes contain lycopene, which helps to keep blood vessel walls supple, and potassium, which helps to balance the body’s fluid and sodium levels.” Natural yogurt, not the sweetened-flavored variety, is another food to try. According to research published in the International Dairy Journal, a daily portion of yogurt—basically a large dollop or a tiny 150g pot—lowered blood pressure in individuals with hypertension.
The trial’s researchers hypothesized that the bacteria in yogurt aid in the release of blood-pressure-lowering proteins. Other elements in yogurt, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are crucial for blood pressure regulation, according to Rhiannon Lambert, author of The Science of Nutrition. For health benefits, choose natural, plain types that are free of sugar and extraneous substances.
Finally, kidney beans are another excellent food to lower blood pressure, so people who enjoy chili con carne are in luck. The darker-colored beans, such as black and red kidney beans, have been demonstrated to have the biggest beneficial effects on blood vessels, even if most beans have a good influence on blood pressure.
In a small pilot study looking at the effects of beans on cardiovascular measures researchers from the University of Manitoba in Canada showed that blood pressure was lower two hours after eating red kidney beans compared with rice. Dr Patel said: “Canned versions of beans provide the same benefits as dried, and you save on overnight soaking.”