It is said that one in four adult Americans has high blood pressure. Yet, there are so many who do not know they have it and probably won’t until it is too late. If it is caught before it’s too late there are a variety of treatments that have proven effective in controlling hypertension while there are others that have shown no results at all. Herbal therapies tend to have mixed results, but it is one we do not hear about as much as we do other treatments such as diet, exercise, and medication is how supplements can reduce blood pressure.
Supplements
Supplements such as Omega-3, fish oil, and alpha-linolenic acid have shown strong evidence that the DHA and EPA contained in these supplements have many positive effects, which include slightly lowering blood pressure and preventing heart attack and stroke. Even though those with moderate high blood pressure have shown improvement with larger doses of Omega-3, these supplements can be harmful if taken in extremely large doses. One way to get plenty of Omega-3″s without taking supplements is including fish as a part of your diet, and not the fried fish from your local seafood restaurant. Although the fish contains the Omega-3 fatty acids you need, it is the fried part that is bad for you and can outweigh the benefits.
Another supplement called Coenzyme Q10 shows good evidence in being effective toward the lowering of blood pressure. It is an enzyme that is naturally produced by the body and can decrease with age. Even though taking supplements to increase Coenzyme Q10 in the body may not be a bad thing, it is not conclusive that this controversial treatment of high blood pressure actually has an effect on those with extremely high blood pressure. It is those who had mild high blood pressure that have shown significant results in studies that involve Coenzyme Q10.
You may have even heard of the benefits of amino acids when fighting hypertension. This news has been publicly available for quite some time. The amino acid L-arginine is thought to lower high blood pressure, but some studies have suggested that it may only decrease blood pressure for a short period of time. You have probably also heard that garlic is a good supplement to use in the lowering of blood pressure, but the truth is that the results are unclear. In some instances, garlic has shown to inhibit a small decrease in blood pressure, but tests have shown mixed results.
When talking to your doctor about supplements to treat your high blood pressure, your doctor may even recommend certain supplements to be used together. In some instances, doing such a thing has shown to lower blood pressure, but it is something you don’t want to do without talking to your doctor first. You also want to research what supplements are used in treating high blood pressure, what the benefits are, and what the possible adverse effects are. It is important to educate yourself on treatment possibilities. There are so many methods used in treating and preventing high blood pressure, so it is good to know your options.
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