HOW TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE NATURALLY

Part 7 : Use Olive oil

Olive oil is widely used in Mediterranean countries where rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and related conditions are lower. It has a beneficial effect on blood lipid levels – helping to lower the undesirable LDL-cholesterol without having a detrimental effect on the good HDL-cholesterol. A diet rich in oilve oil has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 25%.

Although just a few studies have been done on the effect of olive oil on blood pressure in particular, it has been shown that it can help those with high blood pressure reduce or eliminate the need for medication.

In one example, a study in Naples of a group of people who were using medication to lower their blood pressure, showed that a group on an extra-virgin olive oil diet, reduced the amount of medication necessary to control blood pressure levels by 48%, while the control group on a sunflower oil diet showed a reduction of only 4%. In addition, eight of the people on the extra-virgin olive oil diet no longer required blood pressure medication while all the control group continued to need antihypertensive medication.

Everyone in the study ate a diet made up of about 17% protein, 57% carbohydrates, 35 grams of fiber, and 26% total fats with 5.8% saturated fats, per day for six months. Participants were assigned to receive the majority of their fats from either extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil – about 40g a day for men, 30g for women.

Why does olive oil lower blood pressure?

Olive oil is a mainly monounsaturated (omega-9) fat, primarily oleic acid, containing a whole variety of other substances, including carotenes, polyphenols, and vitamin E. It is not certain which components of the olive oil seem to have a blood pressure lowering effect.

The researchers in the Naples study believe it may be due to the polyphenol content of olive oil. Polyphenols are potent antioxidants which help arteries dilate. And as this allows the blood to flow more freely in the arteries, blood pressure reduces. Ten grams of extra-virgin olive oil contains five mg of polyphenols while sunflower oil which was used in the control group has no polyphenols.

While olive oil seems to have a blood pressure lowering effect and a good effect on overall cholesterol levels you do have to take into account the number of calories in the oil if you are also trying to reduce your weight (another factor in high blood pressure as we have seen). 

Each 100g of olive oil contains about 900 calories – the same as any other oil.

Again, it's a question of balance. It does however seem to make sense to switch to extra virgin olive oil in place of the butter or other oils you normally use if you have  high blood pressure.

To get the best from olive oil, choose the highest grade extrea virgin cold-pressed olive oil you can afford, buy in small quantities and store in a cool, dark place.

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