Who knew a breakfast staple could lower high blood pressure?
The NHS says about a third of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, although many will not realise it.
Left untreated, it increases the risk of serious problems like heart attacks and strokes.
Thankfully, a common breakfast juice was found to lower high blood pressure with a 'single' drink in a study published in SpringerLink journal.
High blood pressure describes the force of blood as it pushes against the walls of your blood vessels.
Although blood pressure fluctuates through the day, consistently high blood pressure causes the walls to harden and constrict.
This forces the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body. Over time, this can hike your risk of having a heart attack.
But several studies have found Hesperidin, a plant compound found in citrus fruits such as orange juice, is linked to reductions in blood pressure.
For the study, participants received 500 mL/day of control drink, orange juice, or hesperidin-enriched orange juice for 12 weeks.
The researchers found a "single" dose (500 mL) of hesperidin-enriched orange juice reduced systolic blood pressure, with "greater changes after sustained treatment".
What's systolic blood pressure?
Blood pressure is recorded with two numbers. The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.
The diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.
They're both measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
"As a general guide, high blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher (or 150/90mmHg or higher if you're over the age of 80)," explains the NHS.
The health body continues: "Ideal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg."
As it points out, everyone's blood pressure will be slightly different.
"What's considered low or high for you may be normal for someone else."
The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.
According to UK public health guidelines, all adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years.
Getting this done is easy and could save your life.
How to get your blood pressure taken
You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:
- At your GP surgery
- At some pharmacies
- As part of your NHS Health Check
- In some workplaces.
You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.
Like 24-hour or ambulatory monitoring, this can give a better reflection of your blood pressure.
