Are Blueberries the Key in Fighting High Blood Pressure?

So many people who suffer from high blood pressure have been put on one medication after another by their doctor with the hopes that they would be able to regulate their numbers and live a normal life. But many of these hypertension medications also come with nasty side effects, like headaches, nausea, lack of energy and dizziness.

That’s why it’s so wonderful when you hear about something completely natural (and delicious!) that can help in the fight against hypertension.

A new study published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics illustrates the powerful benefits of consuming blueberries by those with high blood pressure. Not only did this delicious fruit significantly lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, it also softened the study participants’ arteries – a feat the current medical system claims is impossible without the use of drugs. Of course they would take this stance.

The Study

In the study, middle-aged women ranging between 45 and 65 years of age, who already suffered from pre-hypertension, were recruited. Pre-hypertension means their blood pressure numbers were between 120/80 and 140/90. Half of the group was given a daily dose of 22 grams of freeze-dried blueberry powder, the other half was given a powder that looked and tasted similar but contained no blueberries.

After two months, the average systolic blood pressure of the blueberry group had dropped 7 points and the diastolic blood pressure dropped 5 points. There were no improvements found in the control group. Even more significant of a finding was that the women in the blueberry group had increased their levels of a specific chemical that relaxes blood vessel walls.

Sarah Johnson, a nutrition and exercise researcher at Florida State University in Tallahassee who led the study was excited by these results, “This tells us that blueberries may improve the health of blood vessels in addition to reducing blood pressure.”

Are Your Pipes Rusty?

Studies done in the past have also suggested that it is the flavonoids and other healthy plant compounds in the blueberries that may be responsible for boosting the levels of nitric oxide in the body, which is the chemical that positively affects the cells that line the blood vessel walls.

Hardened arteries are potentially dangerous because they are not able to flex in and out like healthy arteries, and it is this flexibility that helps our bodies to manage the daily ups and downs of blood pressure. When arteries become hardened they are like rusty pipes full of nooks and crannies where plaque can build up. This build up eventually leads to blockages which causes high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Needless to say, softening of the arteries is extremely important but also extremely difficult to do.

Blueberries are an incredibly powerful little fruit because they have more kinds of antioxidants than any other type of food. Because of this, blueberries tackle inflammation and oxidization like magic.

Blueberries VS Traditional Blood Pressure Medicine

Johnson said the decrease in blood pressure of the blueberry group is significant when compared to other blood pressure medications and treatments, and that each individual reacts differently.

“People respond differently to medications and in some people medications are even less effective than this,” she said. “Some medications may work better but may also have negative side effects.”

Dr. Chileshe Nkonde-Price, director of the Penn Women’s Cardiovascular Center in Philadelphia, who was not involved with the study points out that traditional medication is not always recommended for women with borderline high blood pressure in the 50 to 55 age range.

“Menopausal women who are often in that ‘gray zone’ can manage their blood pressure by maintaining a normal body weight through diet and exercise and watching their sodium intake,” she said. “But that can be hard to implement in everyday life.”

Nkonde-Price believes that adding a cup of blueberries to a daily diet is an easy way her patients can regulate their blood pressure safely and naturally. She would also like to see more studies done on other foods that could have a similar effect.

“This study opens the gateway for other foods or other drugs that could lower blood pressure through the same mechanism,” she said.  “I’d like to see more studies that show why foods or drugs work through this pathway.”

Though blueberries have shown a lot of promise in the fight against hypertension, there are other treatments that have been shown to lower blood pressure using simple and all-natural methods. Wouldn’t you love to get your health and energy back the safe and natural way?

On the following page one doctor will share some information with you that drug companies don’t want you to know about, and you’ll learn how one of her patients used her method to lower his blood pressure naturally and simply from 200 over 100 to 126 over 71 and all within one week.

Sound too good to be true?

Watch the video on the next page to learn this doctor’s method and get your blood pressure numbers down in as little as three days.