If you have high blood pressure then you’re going to want to check out the top 10 supplements to lower blood pressure.

Now having high blood pressure is quite common today. The CDC says 1 in 3 people (75 million adults) have high blood pressure (1). Having high blood pressure can be dangerous to your health as it increases your chances of a heart attack or stroke (2).

If you’ve ever gone to the doctor and wrapped the cuff around your arm to check your blood pressure then know he was measuring how much force your blood is being pumped throughout your circulatory system. And having high blood pressure can lead to hypertension which is the number one killer in the world today (even more than cancer) (3).

Heart attacks can take off an average of 16 years of your life (4). Having high blood pressure is a silent killer since you can’t feel like you have it at all. But it can be quite dangerous and deadly in the end so it’s important to reduce your hypertension.

If you have a family history of high blood pressure, strokes, and heart attacks then you have to take extra care. Having high blood pressure can make you feel scared for your future but there are some simple supplements you can take to help reduce your blood pressure. Here you’ll discover the top 10 most important supplements for lowering your high blood pressure.

How to Lower Blood Pressure (The Root Cause)

Now before we get into the meat and potatoes of the best blood pressure support supplements we have to get down to the root cause.

Your heart and blood vessels (arteries and veins) make up your cardiovascular system. Think of your heart as a muscular pump that never stops working to send blood throughout your vascular system. Your heart sends blood to your arteries and then your veins send the deoxygenated blood back to your heart. Your systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure are important measurements of how hard your heart is pumping blood.

But if your heart has to work too hard to send the blood then your blood vessel walls can become hardened and constricted. This can cause plaque to build up in your blood vessels leading to a heart attack or stroke. The scariest part is you can’t tell if you have this build-up of plaque in your blood vessels.

Having high blood pressure is kinda like a garden hose. If you want the water to come out of the hose faster then tighten the nozzle or turn the knob higher. This increases the resistance to flow the same way having high blood pressure does in your body. Ideally, if your arteries are wide and relaxed they’ll allow blood to flow more freely thus your blood pressure will lower.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and I don’t pretend to play one on the internet. I do not recommend going off your meds or taking anything without talking to your doctor first.

Nitric Oxide

Without a doubt, the best supplement you can take for lowering blood pressure is Nitric Oxide. The scientists who discovered Nitric Oxide for the cardiovascular system ended up winning the Nobel Prize in 1998 (5). This goes to show you how big of a discovery and important Nitric Oxide is…

Taking Nitric Oxide supplements will result in a greater flow of blood and oxygen to your heart (6). This is the recipe for improving your heart health and lowering your high blood pressure.

Nitric Oxide is so powerful it is the basis for prescription medications for erectile dysfunction like Viagra. People with high blood pressure and men with erectile dysfunction are thought to have problems creating their own Nitric Oxide (7).

Now your body naturally makes some Nitric Oxide on its own but nowhere near enough to have the effect that supplementing with it will have. Increasing your Nitric Oxide levels with supplements will dilate and smooth the muscle of your blood vessel walls (8). As your blood vessels widen and relax they’ll better improve the flow of blood throughout your circulatory system.

Now let’s get into the two blood pressure supplements you’ll need to increase your Nitric Oxide levels…

L-arginine – 4-6g per day (ideally before bed)

This is an amino acid that is a building block of protein. It converts to Nitric Oxide in your body and can enhance blood flow. This will improve the quality and activity of the cells in your blood vessel’s walls (9). You can find it in some protein-rich foods like red meat and fish but it’s very difficult to consume enough from foods to reach this threshold. That’s why it’s a good idea to supplement with it instead.

L-citrulline – 200-1000mg per day (ideally before bed)

This is another amino acid that your kidneys convert into L-arginine and thus Nitric Oxide. Taking both L-arginine and L-citrulline dietary supplements together creates a synergetic effect on creating more Nitric Oxide in your body (10).

Potassium

Potassium: 4,700mg a day (total)

Now, most people aren’t getting enough potassium from their daily diets. It’s recommended to get at least 4,700mg a day but the average person is only getting less than 1,500mg a day (11). This creates a problem when it comes to high blood pressure.

Your body needs 4x the amount of potassium compared to salt consumption. But most people do the opposite by consuming way too much salt and nowhere near enough potassium.

Potassium will help to lower your systolic and diastolic blood pressure by pulling the salt out of your blood. Your kidneys help to control your blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid that’s stored. The higher the fluids stored then that means the higher your blood pressure. Your kidneys work to filtering your blood and taking out excess fluids. Your body needs potassium to pull out this excess fluid (11,12).

When you consume too much salt (and not enough potassium) then it’ll throw off this ratio of potassium to salt. When this happens your kidneys won’t be able to remove the excess fluid. But once you start increasing your potassium intake you’ll be able to restore this delicate balance. This will allow your kidneys to work more efficiently to remove excess fluid.

A study of 12,000 people found those with higher sodium to potassium ratio also had higher blood pressure. This also increased the chances they’d die from a heart attack or stroke (13). It’s a smart idea to start taking more potassium supplements to reduce hypertension. The Daily Recommended Intake is 4,700mg so make sure you take into consideration your daily potassium intake from your diet and then to not over-supplement.

Greens Supplement

Recommended Dosage – 1-2 servings a day

Taking a greens supplement is an all-in-one multivitamin on “steroids.” It contains important micronutrients your body needs to thrive optimally. Having micronutrient deficiencies is believed to be one of the causes of having high blood pressure (14).

MetaboGreens is the best greens supplement as it contains multiple forms of ingredients found to lower blood pressure.

Plus it’s all derived from natural whole food sources. No chemical or synthetic ingredients which means better absorption by your body. It’s a lot easier to take a greens supplement than having to take a bunch of smaller supplements just to hopefully get the same effect. Folic acid itself works wonders to relaxing arteries and veins while improving blood flow (15).

Quercetin

Quercetin: 30-1000mg a day

This is a plant flavonoid that’s found in fruits and vegetables. It’s a powerful antioxidant that fights off damage caused by free radicals in your body. Studies have found quercetin can relax the walls in your arteries and veins thus lowering blood pressure (16).

Taking quercetin supplements will also help to lower inflammation in your body (17). A study found those taking quercetin were significantly able to lower their blood pressure after supplementing with it for 8 weeks (18). The participants also showed drastically improved triglycerides & HDL cholesterol levels.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10: 100-300mg per day

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful antioxidant that you’ll find it every cell in the body that helps to convert food into energy. It’ll help to fight off the damage caused by free radicals that can accelerate aging and hypertension. In a meta-analysis of studies, the researchers found taking CoQ10 supplements could lower systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mm Hg and diastolic by 10 mm Hg (without any side effects) (19). This is significant as lowering your blood pressure by even 5 mmHg can mean a 21% reduction in the odds of having a heart attack or a 34% less chance of a stroke (20).

Whey Protein

Whey Protein: 20-25g per serving twice a day

When consuming a whey protein supplement your body will break down the protein into amino acids (including L-arginine and L-citrulline). Both of which will help to increase your Nitric Oxide levels. Your body needs adequate protein levels for the maintenance of body tissues. Your body not only uses protein for the formation of muscle but also your organs (heart and blood vessels included). Studies have found taking at least 50g of whey protein supplements per day can reduce blood pressure and improve the endothelial cells in your veins and arteries (21).

Omega-3 Fish Oil

Omega-3 Oil: 1-3g per day

One of the hidden causes of having high blood pressure in the first place is inflammation in the body caused by an imbalance of omega-6s to omega-3s (22). Eating omega-6 rich processed foods and vegetable oils throw off this delicate balance causing inflammation (23). This inflammation can lead to the hardening of artery walls and thus increasing blood pressure.

One study found taking 3g of omega-3 fatty acids rich fish oil daily resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure (24). There was also a meta-analysis of studies finding taking fish oil can result in the drastic lowering of blood pressure especially in those with high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. The differences between krill oil vs fish oil are pretty significant.

Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium Citrate:240-960mg per day

Most people aren’t getting enough magnesium and it’s a shame considering it’s used as a cofactor in over 300 enzymatic reactions in your body (including regulating blood pressure) (25). Magnesium plays a role in creating the energy source for potassium and salt pump. Magnesium deficiencies have been shown to cause an increase of salt in the body. Not getting enough magnesium can also lead to inflammation in the body resulting in higher blood pressure (26).

While consuming saturated fats and cholesterol have been blamed for heart disease for decades by the American Heart Association there is a lot of recent research has found no such causation (27). Researchers so far back as the 1950s found magnesium deficiencies to be one of the root causes of hypertension (28). I like to take Magnesium Citrate as it’s better a form that’s easier absorbed by the body (29).

Garlic Extract

Garlic Extract: 480-960mg per day

Eating garlic might not only taste good but it can also lower your blood pressure. Taking garlic extract can help to increase the production of Nitric Oxide in your body (30). Like said earlier the more Nitric Oxide you have in your body the more your blood vessels will widen resulting in lower blood pressure.

A review study found those taking garlic extracts were able to lower their blood pressure compared to others with high blood pressure only taking a placebo (31). Make sure you take at least 480mg of garlic extract per day as studies have found that’s the minimum amount for a significant lowering of blood pressure (32). Those taking half that amount didn’t see much of a decrease in blood pressure. But be aware that garlic breath can be one of the side effects.

What can help lower blood pressure immediately?

I’d highly recommend increasing your Nitric Oxide levels in your body, increasing your potassium intake and replenishing magnesium deficiencies to lower your blood pressure fast. These are the big 3 supplements you can take to lower your blood pressure.

The Last Word

Now that you know the recommended supplement for lowering blood pressure it’ll be key to take them daily. I know a lot of people who have supplements to improve their health but they stop taking them over time. Set a daily reminder or alarm on your phone to remind you to take them. Your life might just depend on it!

At the end of the day, numerous lifestyle factors play a role in heart disease and hypertension. Losing excess weight and improving your diet and exercise routine will be imperative in the long run towards lowering your chances of a heart attack or stroke. It’ll be a constant uphill battle otherwise.

Abdominal obesity is linked to having heart attacks and strokes. This was independent of blood pressure and other risk factors such as diabetes (33). If you’re having trouble getting rid of your belly fat then check out The Flat Belly Formula.

Hopefully, you’ll start taking some of these supplements soon that’ll help lower blood pressure so you can sleep a little easier at night. With this information you can quickly get started with getting your blood pressure levels back to normal.