KEY POINTS

  • High blood pressure is a common problem of individuals in various parts of the world
  • Living a healthy lifestyle and staying active are among the best ways to fight off high blood pressure
  • There is one beverage that could help lower your readings 

Affecting approximately 33% of adults in the UK, high blood pressure is being called the silent killer. This is because it does not give rise to any symptoms, particularly at its early stage, making people unaware they have the condition.

In fact, the most effective way of finding out if your blood pressure reading is high or not is to have it checked regularly. Whether you have the condition or not, however, you must take steps to prevent having high blood pressure. If you are suffering from such and have been so for a long time, it can strain your blood vessels, increasing your risk of suffering from stroke or heart attack.

Healthy Eating

Consuming a healthy diet is a good start in preventing the development of high blood pressure or reducing such if your blood pressure is high. Health professionals suggest minimizing salt in your food. This is because having too much salt in your diet can raise your blood pressure. You may also opt for more fruits and vegetables as these foods counteract the negative effects of salt.

A Helpful Beverage

Some beverages have been proven to create positive effects on your blood pressure, and one of these drinks is the olive leaf tea. Consumed by people living in the Mediterranean part of their daily diet and also as traditional medicine, the use of olive leaves can be traced to ancient times. They contain several vital polyphenols, like oleuropein and oleacein. It is suggested by several studies that these polyphenols defends the body against an array of diseases.

tea and high blood pressure
tea and high blood pressure Foundry - Pixabay

In a study conducted in 2011, researchers asked people suffering from stage 1 hypertension to take either a 12.5 to 25mg of captopril or 500mg of olive leaf extract. Captopril is a medication used to manage high blood pressure. Both groups displayed considerably lower blood pressure after eight weeks.

Because of this, researchers came to the conclusion that olive leaf extract has the same efficacy as captopril in lowering blood pressure in people suffering from stage 1 hypertension. In a similar study conducted in 2017, researchers chose people suffering from stage 1 hypertension to take olive leaf extract containing 136 milligrams of oleuropein or a placebo daily.

Those who had olive leaf extract displayed lower blood pressure compared to those who took a placebo after six weeks. These findings suggest that olive leaf extract is effective in lowering blood pressure. It is also a great aid when you are trying to lose weight.