Green Tea Helps Lower Blood Pressure. And It’s Great for Your General Health Too!
If your doctor tells you that you have high blood pressure, they’ll probably recommend pills, which you need to take every day. And pills certainly seem to work. They’re an easy, convenient option – you don’t need to make any changes to your lifestyle.
But this may not be the best way to go. All drugs have some side-effects, and other medication that you may need at other times, might react badly with the blood pressure medication.
So, are there natural alternatives to pills for high blood pressure or hypertension? Of course! Green tea is an all-natural powerhouse drink!
Why Green Tea?
Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that drinking 3 or 4 cups of green tea each day reduced high blood pressure by over 2 points in systolic and diastolic (top and bottom) numbers.
This is really good news, because reducing blood pressure reduces your risk of stroke and coronary artery (heart) disease.
(Just be aware that it may take a few weeks to start working, and you need to keep drinking it. And you’ll also probably want to chat to your doctor about it – remember, this article is NOT medical advice!).
Other Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Besides affecting blood pressure, green tea has many other health benefits.
- It can regulate fat metabolism and so help to reduce or avoid obesity. No one wants to be overweight, but your blood pressure naturally goes down as you reduce weight.
- Green tea can also improve your ability to exercise, which can also lower blood pressure.
- There is some evidence that green tea can help to prevent diabetes, as well as degenerative diseases of the brain, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
- Green tea contains polyphenol antioxidants, which help to slow the spread of tumor cells. It also contains a catechin called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) that helps tumour cells respond better to chemotherapy.
- ECGC also reduces the risk of blood clots, and helps to prevent arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, stroke, and cerebral thrombi, because it relaxes the arteries in the brain and improves the blood flow to the brain.
As you’ll see below, something else you can do to help with hypertension, is to eat more fruit and vegetables – and smoothies are a great way to make sure you get your daily intake!
What If I Don’t Like the Taste?
Green tea can take a bit of getting used to. If you don’t like the taste, buy a reputable brand of tea that has another flavour added – for example, green tea and mint. I like Twining’s Tea, but whatever brand you choose, just check the ingredients first to make sure there’s nothing artificial added, and no sugar or anything like that.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Interestingly, it isn’t always possible to say exactly why some people have high blood pressure. But you might be more at risk if you:
- are overweight
- eat too much salt and don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables
- don’t do enough exercise
- drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
- smoke
- don’t get much sleep or have disturbed sleep
- are over 65
- have a relative with high blood pressure
Lifestyle Changes
Look at the list above. If you have any of those risk factors, then one of the best things you can do to lower your blood pressure is to make changes to your lifestyle, for example by stopping smoking, losing weight or reducing the amount of alcohol you drink.
None of those are easy, but there are so many benefits to every aspect of your life if you improve your lifestyle. For example, you might feel more energetic and cheerful, you might sleep better, and of course, you’ll greatly reduce your risk of disease.
Taking blood pressure tablets will help ONLY the hypertension, but lifestyle changes will improve your whole quality of life!
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Do you drink green tea? Do you have high blood pressure? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE recipes for yummy smoothies that will keep you feeling full! Click here.
