High blood pressure: The 85p spice shown to cause ‘significant’ reductions in hypertension

Dr Manesh Saxena explains new blood pressure injection

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

For a month dozens of males with uncontrolled high blood pressure, known as hypertension, consumed less than a teaspoon of cinnamon alongside a standard 1800-calorie diet. It turned out those men experienced a “significant reduction” in their hypertension in comparison to dozens more men who consumed the diet but without the cinnamon.

Many of the 100 men tested with cinnamon in the research, published last year in the Journal of Hypertension, saw a drop in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Systolic blood pressure refers to the blood pressure during the part of a heartbeat when the organ is contracting and pushing blood from the heart into the arteries.

Diastolic blood pressure on the other hand is the pressure when your heart is resting between heartbeats.

Studies have found that those with higher systolic blood pressure are more likely to suffer from a stroke or heart disease – although both types of blood pressure are considered important.

During the study above, which was undertaken at Jubilee Hope Centre Hospital in India, the drop in systolic pressure often came alongside a drop in waist circumference and weight.

The reduction in diastolic blood pressure was also linked to a drop in the men’s waist to hip ratio, waist circumference, and weight loss.

It’s not fully known exactly how cinnamon can lower blood pressure. Some animal studies suggest that it may help dilate and relax blood vessels.

DON’T MISS
Popular UK drink is a ‘known’ cause of cancer [ADVICE]
Heart attack: Sign on the ear that could predict event [TIPS]
‘It’s a horrible death’ disease that killed Randy Newman [INSIGHT]

Other studies have found similar results to the India study about the link between cinnamon and hypertension.

In Iran, researchers at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences looked at the cinnamon effect for people with stage one hypertension but for 90 days rather than 30.

They found similar results and concluded that cinnamon can be “considered a complementary treatment in subjects with S1HTN [stage one hypertension]”

Stage one hypertension is where systolic pressure ranging from 130 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 mm Hg.

Experiments testing the health benefits of cinnamon are viewed as controversial by many academics as they often include small sample sizes, such as the one above.

One group of academics, including Marilyn Campbell from the University of Kentucky, concluded that “cinnamon supplementation can improve blood pressure by a modest degree” in a review of cinnamon research.

But they also stated that further study is needed because of the small sample sizes in most of the studies available.

The surest way to improve your blood pressure, which is recommended by the NHS, is to make significant lifestyle changes.

Cutting your salt intake to less than a teaspoon a day is advised by the health body. It also suggests cutting down on alcohol, drinking less caffeine, and being more active.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Symptoms of high blood pressure can include blurred vision, nosebleeds, chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

Over one in four adults in the UK are likely to have high blood pressure and lots of people won’t know they have it.

That’s why it is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly – once every five years, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Source: Read Full Article