Can Probiotics Lower Blood Pressure?

You know high blood pressure can result in even more serious medical problems, like strokes, but you don’t want to take blood pressure medication for the rest of your life. Fortunately, you may not have to. Today, we’re exploring whether probiotics can lower blood pressure and other benefits of probiotics.

Can Probiotics Lower Blood Pressure?

Researchers aggregated and reviewed data from nine studies that explored the relationship between probiotic consumption and blood pressure. Specifically, research results indicate that people who consumed more probiotics for at least 60 days, on average, saw a 3.6 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the numerator when looking at a blood pressure reading.

Also, people who consumed more probiotics for at least 60 days, on average, saw a 2.4 mm Hg reduction in diastolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is the denominator when looking at a blood pressure reading.

A Word of Warning

It may not be enough to just add yogurt to your diet for a couple months. According to the 2014 study published in the journal Hypertension, blood pressure was more significantly reduced when several types of bacteria were consumed. Therefore, if you are worried about your blood pressure but don’t want to take blood pressure medication, it may behoove you to take a probiotic supplement that contains several types of bacteria.

What Is High Blood Pressure? 

High blood pressure, sometimes referred to as HBP or hypertension, is a medical condition that occurs when the force of your blood pushing up against your blood vessels’ walls is too high consistently. Ideally, your systolic blood pressure (bp) should be lower than 120, and your diastolic blood pressure should be lower than 80. If your diastolic blood pressure is lower than 80 but your systolic bp is between 120 and 129, you have elevated blood pressure.

There are three stages of high blood pressure you may be diagnosed with. First, you may be diagnosed with Hypertension Stage 1 if your systolic blood pressure is consistently between 130 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89. Second, you may be diagnosed with Hypertension Stage 2 if your systolic blood pressure is over 140 or your diastolic blood pressure is over 90. Finally, hypertensive crisis involves: 

• Systolic bp over 180
• Diastolic bp over 120

Which Number Is More Important? 

A doctor will be able to advise you on whether your systolic or diastolic blood pressure is more important for you. If you’re over 50, there is a good chance that your systolic bp will be more important because when your systolic bp is too high, you have an elevated risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease.

There is evidence to suggest that you can reduce your blood pressure by taking probiotics. In fact, you may even be able to reduce your systolic blood pressure by 3.6 millimeters of mercury and reduce your diastolic blood pressure by 2.4 millimeters of mercury. To learn more about natural remedies that can improve your health, contact us today at Panacea Scientific. We welcome the opportunity to help you become as healthy as possible.