Heart failure is real, and it often begins with high blood pressure. It’s a silent killer for many in the African-American community.
If you aren’t experiencing high blood pressure, then you most likely know someone who is.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 40 percent of Blacks are living with high blood pressure. Blacks have the highest prevalence of the disease than any other race.
What Could Be Causing Your High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can be caused by a number of factors, including genetics, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and certain medical conditions such as:
- Diet: Eating a diet high in salt and fat, and low in fiber and produce
- Physical activity: Not getting enough regular physical activity
- Alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol
- Tobacco: Smoking tobacco
- Stress: Chronic stress, anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder
- Sleep: Not getting enough sleep
- Medical conditions: Diabetes, Kidney disease, Disorders of the adrenal gland, Hyperparathyroidism, and Pregnancy or preeclampsia.
Other factors like age, race or ethnicity, family history, and environment can also play a role.
There is a lower rate of taking blood pressure medications among Black people, partly due to lack of access to those medications and a distrust of the health care community based on historical discrimination.
Some medications also may be less effective in controlling high blood pressure in some Black people. They may need two or more medications to achieve their blood pressure goal.
8 Drinks that Lower Blood Pressure Fast!
8. Black tea
Teas are the second most common drink, after water, for humans. Black tea differs from green tea in that the tea leaves have been fermented. Green tea uses fresh, dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
Black tea, like green tea, has been shown to reduce blood pressure. It’s unclear why tea might lower blood pressure. But the active chemicals in tea might do one of the following:
- Relax muscles in the blood vessels
- Reduce hormones that raise blood pressure
- Increase nitric oxide (which opens blood vessels)
7. Beet Juice
Researchers found the link between a stiffening heart and high blood pressure, which makes the heart muscle thicken.
In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, experts learned that half a liter of beet juice can do wonders for a young man’s diet. It improved their exercise and performance each day.
Another study, in 2011, found that people ages 54 to 80 also improved their peripheral vascular disease with beet juice.
6. Kombucha
Odds are you’ve seen this “it” drink slowly infiltrating the outer edges of your grocery store. You may have even tried it in an attempt to appear “in the know.”
However, the benefits of kombucha (fermented tea) lie not in the “coolness factor”, but in the probiotics. Countless studies have shown that regular consumption (more than eight weeks) of probiotics can help to reduce blood pressure and even help maintain healthy blood pressure.
5. Hibiscus tea
according to a 2019 study in the Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research. Participants in the intervention group drank 2 cups of hibiscus tea every morning for one month, which resulted in a significant reduction in blood pressure compared to the control group who did not drink the tea (both groups were advised on blood pressure reduction lifestyle and dietary changes, as well).
Hibiscus tea is packed with anthocyanins and other antioxidants, which are natural ACE inhibitors. In a 2020 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers explain that anthocyanins (and other antioxidants) may help blood vessels resist damage that can cause them to narrow.
4. Low-fat Skim milk
As more studies come out about the need for us to drink less cow’s milk and look for alternatives, this can be an exception. It’s high in phosphorus, potassium and calcium—three nutrients associated with healthy blood pressure—and it’s fortified with vitamin D, a vitamin that promotes healthy blood pressure. In a 2019 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that when males and females ate a high-dairy diet over six weeks that included five to six servings of reduced-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, participants reduced both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
This reduction was on average by about 4.5 and 3 points respectively compared to when they ate one or fewer servings of dairy a day for six weeks. These study authors believe that including plenty of dairy in your diet may be able to play a role in the prevention and treatment of hypertension.
3. Pomegranate juice
Not only is it tasty, but it’s healthy for those with hypertension. Those ACE inhibitors can also be found in pomegranates. In one study, this juice reduced ACE – an enzyme that can raise blood pressure – by 36 percent.
Also, if you’re a man, pomegranate juice helps increase blood flow “down there” to have a even more fun in the bedroom (wink, wink).
2. Cranberry juice
This juice is good for more than just UTIs. Filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, cranberry juice can prevent any spikes in blood pressure. It can also dilate blood vessels, which increases blood flow. Be sure to get the unsweetened version of cranberry juice, as the added sugar is no good for your heart.
1. Water
It may sound cliche’, but water is one of the healthiest way to manage hypertension, of course (you already knew that, right?). With dehydration, blood vessels can constrict and the body goes into water-saving mode. Therefore, the body reduces the amount of water loss through sweat, urination, and breathing. Your heart works harder, and your blood pressure goes up.
Water will help prevent chronic dehydration and your blood vessels from tightening.
