From Dr. Greger's book How Not to Die:
"A low-sodium diet centered around whole plant foods appears to be the best way to
bring down high blood pressure. What if you’re already eating this way but that
110/70 still eludes you? There are a few foods in particular you can try that may
offer additional protection.
On average, high blood pressure medications reduce the risk of heart attack by 15
percent and the risk of stroke by 25 percent. But in a randomized, controlled trial,
three portions of whole grains a day were able to help people achieve this bloodpressure-
lowering benefit too. The study revealed that a diet rich in whole grains
yields the same benefits without the adverse side effects commonly associated with
antihypertensive drugs, such as electrolyte disturbances in those taking diuretics
I’ve already touched on whole grains and will go into detail about flaxseeds,
hibiscus tea, and nitrate-rich vegetables. Ground flaxseeds alone “induced one of the
most potent blood-pressure-lowering effects ever achieved by a dietary
intervention.” Eating just a few tablespoons a day appears to be two to three times
more powerful than adopting an aerobic endurance exercise program (not that you
shouldn’t do both—incorporate flaxseeds into your diet and exercise).
Consumption of both raw and cooked vegetables is associated with lower blood
pressure, but raw veggies may be slightly more protective. Studies have also found
that loading up on beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils may help a little, so add
those to your shopping list. Red wine may help, but only nonalcoholic brands. Only
wine that has had the alcohol removed appears to lower blood pressure.
Watermelon appears to offer protection, which is great (and delicious) news, but
you may have to eat about two pounds of it per day to achieve an effect
How does that result compare with taking drugs? The flaxseeds managed to drop
subjects’ systolic and diastolic blood pressure by up to fifteen and seven points,
respectively. Compare that result to the effect of powerful antihypertensive drugs,
such as calcium-channel blockers (for example, Norvasc, Cardizem, Procardia),
which have been found to reduce blood pressure by only eight and three points,
respectively, or to ACE inhibitors (such as Vasotec, Lotensin, Zestril, Altace), which
drop patients’ blood pressure by only five and two points, respectively. Ground
flaxseeds may work two to three times better than these medicines, and they have
only good side effects. In addition to their anticancer properties, flaxseeds have been
demonstrated in clinical studies to help control cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood
sugar levels; reduce inflammation, and successfully treat constipation
But high blood pressure is where hibiscus really shines. A double-blind,
placebo-controlled study out of Tufts University that compared hibiscus tea with an
artificially colored and flavored lookalike showed that three cups of hibiscus tea a
day significantly lowered blood pressure in prehypertensive adults better than the
placebo beverage.
To lower blood pressure, you should still lose weight, reduce your salt intake, get
more exercise, and eat healthier, but the evidence shows that adding hibiscus tea to
your daily routine may offer an additional benefit, comparable even to that provided
by antihypertensive drugs. Tested head-to-head against a leading blood pressure
drug, two cups of strong hibiscus tea every morning (using a total of five tea bags)
was as effective in lowering subjects’ blood pressure as a starting dose of the drug
Captopril taken twice a day.
In addition to eating antioxidant-rich foods that can boost your body’s ability to
produce NO, you can also eat certain vegetables, such as beets and greens, that are
rich in natural nitrates, which your body can convert into nitric oxide. (For the
difference between nitrates and nitrites, see chapter 10.) This process explains why
researchers have been able to show a ten-point systolic blood pressure drop in
volunteers within hours of their consuming beet juice—an effect that lasted
throughout the day
The optimal dose appears to be one-half cup, but beet juice is perishable,
processed, and hard to find. A typical fifteen-ounce can of beets would provide the
same dose of nitrate, but the most concentrated sources of the compound are darkgreen,
leafy vegetables. The following is a top-ten list of nitrate-rich foods, in
ascending order. As you’ll see, eight out of the top ten are greens.
TOP-TEN FOOD SOURCES OF NITRATES
10. Beets
9. Swiss chard
8. Oak leaf lettuce
7. Beet greens
6. Basil
5. Mesclun greens
4. Butter leaf lettuce
3. Cilantro
2. Rhubarb
1. Arugula
Arugula comes out on top with a whopping 480 mg of nitrate per hundred-gram
serving, which is more than four times the content of beets.
The healthiest way to get your nitrate fix is to eat a big salad every day. You
could take nitrate- and nitric-oxide-boosting supplements, but they have questionable
safety and efficacy records and should be avoided. What about V8 juice, which
boasts both beet and spinach juice? It must not have much, because you’d have to
drink nineteen quarts of it a day to reach your daily nitrate intake target."
References are provided in the book for each dietary agent
Edited by Iporuru, 23 February 2020 - 04:42 PM.