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High blood pressure is a common condition that affects more than a quarter of all adults in the UK. But, you could lower your risk of developing hypertension by drinking more beetroot juice, it’s been claimed.
High blood pressure – which is also known as hypertension – puts extra stress on blood vessels and vital organs.
The condition could lead to some deadly complications, including strokes and heart attacks.
It could be caused by eating an unhealthy diet, or by not doing enough exercise.
One of the easiest ways to protect against hypertension is to drink beetroot juice.
Regularly drinking beetroot juice may help to lower your blood pressure reading, if you already have hypertension, according to Natures Aid nutritionist, Jenny Logan.
Beetroot is rich in nitrates, which are converted into nitric oxide in the body.
Nitric oxide helps blood vessels to relax, and protects against unnecessary constriction.
Persistently constricted blood vessels raises your blood pressure, which may subsequently lead to hypertension.
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“Studies have shown that beetroot juice could be helpful in supporting healthy blood pressure,” Logan told Express Health.
“Researchers in 2014 gave volunteers 250ml of beetroot juice per day and noted that it appeared to improve their blood pressure readings.
“It is believed that this is due to the nitrates naturally found in beetroot, which the body converts into nitric oxide. The effect of nitric oxide is to relax blood vessels, which in turn can help to support healthy blood pressure.
“For those who want to replicate the success of this study, beetroot supplements are a handy alternative to drinking beetroot juice.”
Meanwhile, you could also lower your blood pressure by cutting back on the amount of potatoes in your diet, it’s been claimed.
Eating baked potatoes may be increasing your risk of hypertension by up to 11 percent, scientists have previously revealed.
Chips are the worst form of potato for your blood pressure, studies have revealed.
Regularly eating chips increases the chances of developing high blood pressure by 17 percent, compared with those that ate fewer than a single portion of chips each month.
High blood pressure is often known as ‘the silent killer’, because symptoms only tend to reveal themselves if you have extremely high blood pressure.
The most common high blood pressure symptoms include a pounding in your chest, finding blood in your urine, and severe headaches.
It’s crucial that all adults over 40 years old check their blood pressure at least once every five years.
You can check your blood pressure by visiting your local doctors’ surgery or pharmacy.
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