According to 2019 Nutrients study, potassium, calcium, and magnesium help lower blood pressure. All three nutrients are found in dark leafy greens.
Increasing nitric oxide levels helps magnesium lower blood pressure by relaxing blood arteries. Through its effects on smooth muscle cells lining arterial walls, calcium can affect blood pressure. Cooked spinach provides 37% of the Daily Value of magnesium and roughly 10% of calcium in 1 cup.
Potassium helps the body discharge extra sodium through urine, lowering blood pressure and water retention. A 2020 Hypertension review found that higher-potassium, lower-sodium diets reduced hypertension.
Most individuals don't meet the 4,700-mg potassium Daily Value. One serving of dark green leafy vegetables everyday can help you meet the potassium DV.
Dark leafy greens like cabbage, chard, spinach, kale, and arugula are rich in nitrate, a soil, water, and food molecule. Bacteria and enzymes convert nitrate in plant-based foods like leafy greens into nitrous oxide,
which lowers blood pressure by relaxing and dilates blood vessels. As a preservative, producers add nitrate to processed meats, which can become toxic nitrosamines. But it works differently in the body than plant-based nitrate.
In a 2021 Danish cohort study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, participants who ate at least 1 cup of green leafy vegetables daily had a lower baseline systolic blood pressure and a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease
events like heart failure and stroke. A 2018 Nutrition Reviews meta-analysis indicated that high-nitrate plant meals reduce systolic blood pressure and enhance endothelial function.
Vitamin C and blood pressure are still being studied, however some hypotheses suggest it may be advantageous. Oxidative damage to blood arteries raises high blood pressure risk.
Oxidation is common and important, but free radicals and antioxidants like vitamin C can cause harm. If antioxidants are scarce, free radicals will harm tissues like blood vessels, thus consuming more antioxidant-rich foods will assist.
Dark green leafy vegetables include fat-soluble carotenoids, which offer several health advantages. Antioxidants like vitamin C and carotenoids minimize oxidative stress, which can raise blood pressure.
A 2019 Journal of Hypertension review of observational studies found that people who ate more carotenoid-rich foods like dark leafy greens were less likely to have hypertension.
Fiber has several health advantages, including decreased blood pressure, yet just 5% of U.S. adults receive enough.
A 2020 BMC Medicine comprehensive analysis indicated that increasing fiber in your diet can improve heart disease and high blood pressure even after diagnosis.