Top 10 Fruits for Lowering Blood Pressure
The goal of hypertension treatment is to keep blood pressure stable. Nutrition can help people with hypertension control their blood pressure by changing their diet and taking medication. Which fruits are good for high blood pressure? Here are ten fruits that can help you lower your blood pressure.
1. Grapefruit
Grapefruit Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Grapefruit's nutritious components can efficiently reduce blood viscosity, reducing the pressure on the heart. It can also reduce the risk of several cardiovascular disorders. Grapefruit consumption can reduce blood vessel smooth muscle tension, reducing adrenaline release and so playing a role in lowering and maintaining blood pressure balance. It is very beneficial for people who have high blood pressure.
Grapefruit should not be ingested alongside antihypertensive drugs since it may cause an abrupt reduction in blood pressure.
2. Apple
Apple Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Organic acids, dietary fiber, pectin, vitamins, and minerals are abundant in apples. They also have potassium, which can lower blood cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Consuming apples can successfully lower blood cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and maintain stable blood sugar levels in those with hypertension.
Apples are a fruit that can help lower blood pressure, but they should not be used in place of antihypertensive drugs. Individuals with hypertension should make dietary changes, and eating apples in moderation or drinking apple juice can benefit their health. It may also assist to avoid arterial stiffening.
3. Hawthorn
Hawthorn contains flavonoids, triterpenic acids, and ursolic acid, among other components, and has a strong antihypertensive impact. It can also help with indigestion and phlegm moisture. Clinical studies have shown that hawthorn decreases blood cholesterol and triglycerides considerably, successfully avoiding atherosclerosis.
4. Oranges
Oranges Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Oranges are high in vitamin C, fiber, and flavonoid components. They also include natural antioxidants like hesperidin, which have a noticeable antihypertensive effect. Oranges also help to lower the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and gout.
5. Strawberry
Strawberries Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Strawberries are high in vitamin C, fiber, and pectin, all of which are easily absorbed by the body. They are effective in reducing atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and cerebral hemorrhage in addition to preventing vitamin C insufficiency. Strawberries contain vitamins and pectin, which help to relieve constipation and treat illnesses including hemorrhoids and high cholesterol. According to the UK's "Daily Mail," a study undertaken by Florida State University has indicated that strawberries have the ability to decrease blood pressure.
6. Kiwi
Kiwifruit Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Kiwi has a lot of magnesium, potassium, pectin, fiber, and plant sterols. Kiwi's magnesium and potassium content promotes proper blood vessel dilatation, which lowers blood pressure. Furthermore, kiwi can suppress vasopressin production in the body, lowering aberrant vascular constriction for a variety of reasons.
Individuals with hypertension can effectively lower their cholesterol absorption due to the presence of pectin, dietary fiber, and plant sterols in kiwi, so ameliorating the elevated blood lipids and atherosclerosis caused by hypertension and preventing its repercussions. Consuming kiwi in its raw form or as freshly squeezed juice can preserve the greatest nutritional content for persons with hypertension, making it particularly useful for general health. Individuals with diabetes, on the other hand, should consume it in moderation.
7. Bananas
Bananas Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Bananas are a high-potassium, low-sodium comestible, with 256 milligrams of potassium and only 4 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams. Potassium ions are essential in regulating cardiac excitability and maintaining the delicate balance of potassium and sodium, as well as acid-base balance inside the body.
A lack of potassium in the body can lead to an excess of sodium, causing fluid retention and an increase in blood pressure. As a result, modest banana consumption has the ability to reduce hypertension. Furthermore, these fruits have a high fiber content, which effectively limits fat absorption in the intestine, addressing the problem of high cholesterol levels.
While bananas do have blood pressure-lowering properties, their calorific content is relatively high, therefore it is best not to have too many in one sitting.
8. Cherries
Sweet Cherries Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Cherries are a variety of fruit that is well-known for their blood-pressure-lowering effects. According to a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom and published in the "Journal of American Clinical Nutrition," the effect of drinking cherry juice on decreasing blood pressure rivals that of prescription drugs. Consuming 60 milliliters of cherry juice diluted with water can result in a 7% drop in blood pressure after three hours. This level of reduction is similar to a 38% reduction in the risk of stroke and a 23% reduction in the risk of heart disease, respectively.
Cherries, due to their high potassium content, aid in sodium elimination through urine. Furthermore, potassium mitigates the negative effects of high salt on blood pressure and promotes vascular health. Furthermore, the presence of vitamin P in cherries decreases capillary permeability, making them diuretic and blood pressure-lowering agents. Cherries include quercetin, an antioxidant that aids to cardiovascular health, which adds to their benefits.
9. Mango
Mangoes Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Mangoes are high in potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C. Mangoes' potassium concentration makes them a good natural blood pressure regulator. Meanwhile, magnesium helps to reduce weariness and sleeplessness, which are prevalent in hypertensive people. Furthermore, mangoes' high vitamin C content helps to prevent arterial stiffness and improves gastrointestinal health in people with high blood pressure.
Individuals suffering from hypertension benefit from including mangoes into their daily diet by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides. As a result, mangoes emerge as a fruit that is especially beneficial to those with cardiovascular disease. Mangoes can also help with constipation and act as a cough suppressant.
It should be noted that patients with diabetes should take mangoes in moderation due to their relatively high sugar content.
10. Watermelon
Watermelons Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Watermelon flesh includes active ingredients such as citrulline and arginine, which aid in vasodilation. This characteristic allows watermelon to help manage blood pressure while also having a slight diuretic impact. It is worth mentioning that diuretics are often used as a first-line treatment for hypertension, and the diuretic action of watermelon is similar to that of these drugs, providing a slight blood pressure-lowering benefit.
However, it is critical to understand that watermelon's blood pressure-lowering effect is quite mild and limited. Individuals suffering from hypertension should seek treatment through the use of prescription antihypertensive medicines. Furthermore, watermelon is not suggested for blood pressure control in people who have both high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Watermelon has the potential to raise blood sugar levels, thereby exacerbating the patient's condition.
Management of hypertension
The primary line of treatment for hypertension is the same as recommended preventive lifestyle changes, which include dietary adjustments, physical activity, and weight loss. All of these have been demonstrated to dramatically lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. Their potential effectiveness is comparable to, and sometimes exceeds, that of a single medicine. If hypertension is severe enough to necessitate immediate treatment, lifestyle adjustments are still advised in addition to medicine.
Individuals with high blood pressure should make a conscious effort to limit their salt intake in everyday life. Moderately lowering sodium consumption can help to lower blood pressure and reduce sodium and water retention in the body. A low salt diet and a vegetarian diet are both helpful dietary changes. A long-term low-sodium diet is beneficial in lowering blood pressure in both hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals. Furthermore, the DASH diet, which is high in nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables, decreases blood pressure. Although the diet is high in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and protein, minimizing sodium intake is a key component of the strategy. A vegetarian diet is linked to lower blood pressure, and transitioning to one may help reduce high blood pressure.