By Angela Onwuzoo
High blood pressure can lead to serious health complications if left untreated, but making some simple lifestyle changes can help keep it in check.
What you eat can help lower your reading, and eating the following foods such as blueberries, peanuts, red grapes and drinking red wine in particular could prove effective.
Experts recommend cutting down on the amount of salt in your food and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Recent research has suggested four specific foods may lower blood pressure because of plant compound they contain.
A study involving mice and human cells published in the journal Circulation, found resveratol could have blood pressure-lowering properties.
Previous research has focused on the benefits of resveratrol for heart health.
And now clinical studies in rats and mice have demonstrated its protective effects against stroke, heart failure and high blood pressure.
Some researchers believe the benefits of resveratrol come from its antioxidant properties.
Resveratrol is part of a group of compounds called polyphenols. They are antioxidants that protect the body against damage.
Scientists from King’s College London added resveratrol to the diet of mice with high blood pressure.
The rodents’ blood pressure was monitored for 15 days, and by the end of the study period, those that ate a diet with the addition of resveratrol showed a drop of around 20 millimetres of mercury.
Resveratrol was also found to relax the rodents’ blood vessels.
The authors concluded: “Resveratrol mediates lowering of blood pressure by paradoxically inducing protein oxidation, especially during times of oxidative stress, a mechanism that may be a common feature of ‘antioxidant’ molecules.”
Four natural sources of resveratrol include: red wine,blueberries, peanuts and red grapes.
While red grapes, blueberries and peanuts form part of a healthy diet, it’s important to note drinking too much alcohol and drinking regularly can raise blood pressure.
The NHS advises: “Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure.
“Men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week.
“Spread your drinking over three days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week.”
Other ways to lower blood pressure include losing weight, regularly exercising, cutting down on smoking and cutting down on
caffeine.
