What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the force that moves blood through our circulatory system.
It is an important force because oxygen and nutrients would not be pushed around our circulatory system to nourish tissues and organs without blood pressure.

Blood pressure is also vital because it delivers white blood cells and antibodies for immunity, and hormones such as insulin.

The fresh blood that gets delivered is able to pick up the toxic waste products of metabolism, including the carbon dioxide we exhale with every breath, and the toxins we clear through our liver and kidneys.

Blood itself carries a number of other properties, including its temperature. It also carries one of our defenses against tissue damage, the clotting platelets that prevent blood loss following injury.

 

What causes blood to exert a pressure in our arteries?

The heart creates blood pressure by forcing out blood when it contracts with every heartbeat. Blood pressure, however, cannot be created solely by the pumping heart.

In year 2017, new guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and nine other health organizations lowered the numbers for the diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure) to 130/80 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and higher for all adults. The previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older.

This means 70% to 79% of men ages 55 and older are now classified as having hypertension. That includes many men whose blood pressure had previously been considered healthy. Why the change?

According to Dr Paul Conlin (an endocrinologist with Harvard-affiliated VA Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women's Hospital), "The goal now with the new guidelines is to help people address high blood pressure — and the problems that may accompany it like heart attack and stroke — much earlier."

 

Three Drinks to Lower Blood Pressure

Let’s try these heart-healthy drinks to your diet. Combined with regular exercise and a smart eating plan, they can help prevent and control hypertension. Here's how.
Research shows that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables plus lean protein can help prevent and control high blood pressure.

 

Low-fat or Non-fat Milk

According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, swapping out full-fat dairy for low-fat versions may also help lower blood pressure. That's because full-fat dairy contains significant amounts of palmitic acid, which can block signals that relax blood vessels, allowing blood to flow freely. Arteries that stay tight and constricted may lead to elevated blood pressure, the study authors explain.

 

Pomegranate Juice

It was loaded with potassium and other heart-healthy nutrients, pomegranate juice has three times the antioxidant activity of green tea or red wine. It's no surprise, then, that a 2017 review of clinically sound studies found that regularly drinking pomegranate juice can significantly reduce blood pressure. In one of the studies, drinking pomegranate juice improved systolic blood pressure (the higher number in a blood pressure reading) regardless of how many weeks participants drank it.

 

 Hibiscus Tea

According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, drinking hibiscus tea can significantly lower blood pressure, particularly when it is slightly elevated. Researchers say hibiscus tea has anthocyanins and other antioxidants that may help blood vessels resist damage that can cause them to narrow. Many herbal tea blends contain hibiscus, which brews up bright red and delivers a tart flavor. According to the study authors, you have to drink quite a bit: they recommend three cups a day. To get the full benefits, steep for six minutes before sipping it hot or cold.

You also can try our product Hibiscus Organic Tea to include in your daily meal plan.