Clinical research shows that natural blood pressure reduction methods work. Studies reveal that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, poultry and fish, and low-fat dairy products, supplemented with fish oil and grape seed extract, can lower blood pressure. Reducing salt intake will lower it even more. Regular aerobic exercise, according to several clinical trials, also helps hypertensive people lower blood pressure.
Lifestyle Changes
In 2006, the Journal of Hypertension published the results a study done at the University of Newcastle. This study gathered data from 105 other blood pressure studies done on 6,805 participants beginning in 1998.
The study showed that participants who did aerobic exercise, improved their diet, limited salt intake, and supplemented their diets with fish oil experienced significant effects in lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
In other words, specific lifestyle changes can lead to natural blood pressure reduction. Further clinical studies suggest more specific approaches.
The DASH Diet and Salt Intake
412 people participated in the DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension clinical trial. Some were given a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish and poultry, and low-fat dairy products, with less refined sugar and red meat than is usually found in the standard American diet. They also randomly lowered their salt intake from the 8 to 10 daily grams typical in the U.S. diet to between 4 and 6 grams per day.
The study found that people who received the least amount of salt had a 5- to 8-point reduction in blood pressure regardless of diet and whether or not they were hypertensive. People who simply ate the DASH diet without reducing their salt intake saw a drop in systolic blood pressure of from 5 to 6 points and in diastolic of about 3 points. Those who both followed the DASH diet and minimized their salt intake saw their blood pressure drop the most.
Aerobic Exercise
An analysis of 54 separate studies involving 2,419 sedentary adults who agreed to jog, swim, walk, or engage in some other form of aerobic exercise for two weeks found that systolic blood pressure dropped an average of almost 4 points and diastolic, more than 2.5 points. The results applied to both obese people and those of normal weight of black, Caucasian, and Asian backgrounds.
Fish Oil
A Harvard Medical School analysis of 31 clinical trials involving 1,356 people found that daily dietary supplementation with an average of 5.6 grams of fish oil lowered systolic blood pressure an average of 3.4 points and diastolic 2 points in people with hypertension. The results were most impressive for people suffering from atheroclerosis and high cholesterol, but the fish oil had no effect on people with normal blood pressure.
The researchers suggest that daily fish oil supplementation of between 7.7 and 9 grams can produce a systolic blood pressure reduction of 4 points and diastolic of 3 points in people with hypertension, and even more in those with elevated cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
Recent Research
A University of California-Davis study tested people with pre-hypertension. For eight weeks, half the group was given a placebo, and half were given a commercial brand of 300 mg grape seed extract each day.
At the end of the trial the group receiving grape seed extract saw their average blood pressure readings drop from 134.1/79.1 to 125.8/73.4, while the control group's average went from 132.8/79.7 to 132.4/82.6.
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