Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Many sources claim that watermelon has medicinal properties and can reduce blood pressure.

Or can it?

The Internet and other media have been abuzz lately about the ability of watermelon to reduce high blood pressure. In fact, a popular natural health blog I subscribe to goes even further and claims that eating watermelon can cure high blood pressure.

That’s a mighty big claim. Let’s look at the facts…

Among other healthy nutrients, watermelon contains citrullin, an amino acid associated with dilated blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Citrullin is converted in the body to L-arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide, the true powerhouse that acts directly on the walls of arteries to relax and open them.

It was previously believed that virtually all of the watermelon’s citrullin was found in the rind and therefore useless for direct consumption. But further study shows that citrullin is also present in the edible part of the melon and it is this finding that has stirred the recent excitement.

The buzz is related to reports circulated a few months ago that watermelon could be a “natural Viagra”. Funny enough, the same nitric oxide mechanism that lowers blood pressure is also responsible for the “viagra effect”: dilation of blood vessels and improved circulation.

Many people believe that watermelon has Viagra-like effects and is an aphrodisiac.

Watermelon is indeed extremly nutricious. But its connection to lower blood pressure and and erections is, at best, tenuous. Citrullin is related to L-Arginine, which is a component of nitric oxide, the true protagonist of the story. Even more stretched is the matter of practicality, i.e. how much citrullin is actually consumed through eating watermelon?

As is so often the case with so-called superfoods, the actual amount contained in the food is negligible. The idea of getting a therapeutic dose through watermelon is far-fetched. As Edwin Goldstein, M.D., chief editor of the Journal of Sexual Health, explains: “it’s the  equivalent of someone dropping a beer bottle in Minneapolis, where the Mississippi River starts, and hoping to see it make an impact on someone in New Orleans.”

So the idea of significant blood pressure reductions, let alone curing hypertension, from watermelon just is not likely to happen. Of course, it’s always wise to include watermelon, along with countless other nutricious foods, in a healthy, varied diet. But for health purposes people need to stop this notion of “superfoods”. Think “diet” for health, not “foods”.

This watermelon caper epitomizes the theme of my most recent article: Are Superfoods Making Superfools Of Us?

Are "superfoods" effective blood pressure remedies?

In my previous post I discussed a number of foods that have become known as “superfoods” for their ability to lower blood pressure and deliver other health benefits. Some of these foods such as garlic, chocolate, chilli peppers and beetroot do indeed produce documented reductions in blood pressure.

So it’s only natural that they get promoted as health remedies. On the web you can read about the “Apple Cider Vinegar Remedy” and other natural blood pressure remedies involving foods. Many superfoods are produced as supplements and promoted as health remedies.

But can eating any of these superfoods (or even all of them) really prove an effective high blood pressure remedy?

The short answer is no. There’s a big difference between lowering blood pressure a few points and being a practical and effective remedy. The vast majority of people suffering hypertension need double-digit reductions, especially in systolic blood pressure, and none of these foods deliver results that are even close.

And, unfortunately, the effects of specific foods do not seem to be cumulative. So eating a whole menu of superfoods (if you could stomach it) does not add up to big drops in blood pressure.

There are also a lot of practical problems with foods as high blood pressure remedies…

The amount of a food required to get even modest blood pressure reductions is often impractical or even unhealthy. Take chocolate, for example (not a hard thing to do!). In my previous post I cited a German study in which participants got lower blood pressure eating just a few grams of chocolate a day. The reductions averaged a whole 3 points systolic and 2 points diastolic! This is barely significant statistically. And in practical terms, though any reduction is helpful, it’s nearly insignificant.

The amount of chocolate needed for big blood pressure reductions is unhealthy

But in another test in Italy subjects dropped their blood pressure by an average of 12 points systolic and 8.5 points diastolic. These are truly significant reductions.

Unfortunately, the amount of chocolate required to get these results was 100 grams a day! The amount of sugar and calories from this amount of chocolate is unhealthy and counteracts the benefits to blood pressure.

Time for my bedtime beetroot smoothie!

Another practical issue that prevents superfoods from being effective blood pressure remedies is that their effects are only temporary, lasting from just hours to a day at most. That’s why it’s necessary to consume them every day. Of course this is also the case with medications but popping a pill does not present a practical problem. The only ones who could enjoy a daily half-liter of beetroot juice are the growers and food processors!

So in general, “superfoods” are not effective blood pressure remedies. Sure, it’s a good idea to include them in a healthy diet but don’t count on mind-blowing results. It may even be that the whole concept of superfoods is misguided… Either no foods are superfoods or all foods are superfoods.

For real effects on your blood pressure and overall health think DIET, not “foods”. And that’s what I’ll write about in my next post.