Can Vitamins Affect High Blood Pressure?

The American Heart Association states that one in every three Americans have high blood pressure. The more startling fact is that nearly two thirds of those who have high blood pressure do not know it. High blood pressure or hypertension is called the silent killer for this reason.

The American Heart Association recommends maintaining your ideal weight, reducing salt and alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity and eating more fruits and vegetables are excellent ways to reduce high blood pressure. In addition to the aforementioned, some studies have shown that taking certain vitamins can help reduce high blood pressure.

Potassium helps to keep sodium levels in the body from getting too high so some studies have shown that taking a potassium supplement or eating food rich in potassium had lowered their blood pressure levels. Bananas, potatoes and milk are good sources for getting potassium into your body.

People who are magnesium deficient have higher levels of blood pressure than those who are not. Some preliminary studies have found that patients deficient in magnesium who began taking magnesium supplements were able to lower their high blood pressure. People require between 300 and 400 milligrams of magnesium each day. Salmon, leafy green vegetables, whole grains and nuts are good sources of magnesium.

Vitamin C is currently the target of several studies in seeing how it plays a role in fighting high blood pressure. Patients who had less vitamin C in their diet tended to have higher blood pressure than those who had more vitamin C in their diet. Those who took 240 milligrams a day of vitamin C were 50% less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who consumed 60 milligrams of vitamin C per day.

More studies need to be done on vitamin C, but 240 milligrams is a safe level of vitamin C so it won’t harm you if you consumed that much daily in an attempt to reduce your risk of high blood pressure.