How Caffeine Affects High Blood Pressure
There can be a temporary spike in blood pressure for those people who consume caffeine rarely . However, no such phenomenon is observed in regular caffeine drinkers.
According to a review published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, May 1988- people who dont drink caffeinated drinks regularly may experience a spike in their blood pressure levels during the initial days of consumptions. But, this effect would fade away with regular consumption and blood pressure level would return back to the baseline.
In general, people with high blood pressure are advised to cut down on daily caffeine intake to manage the symptoms.
One cup of coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine. Hence, limit your daily coffee intake to 2 cups.
There’s A Need For More Remedies
As many as one-third of the worlds adult population has hypertension, according to a research review published in NatureReviews Nephrology in early 2020, and its considered the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Those researchers noted that risk factors for hypertension include:
- High sodium intake
- Stress
- Unhealthy diet
Prevalence of hypertension has been particularly notable in low- and middle-income countries, the study noted, and this is made more problematic by lower levels of hypertension awareness and treatment.
Thats why something as affordable and widely available as green and black tea may be promising as an option that provides small but consistent improvements, according to the recent studys co-author Geoffrey Abbott, Ph.D., professor of physiology and biophysics at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. Also, he added, the identification of KCNQ5 could make that protein a candidate for development of hypertension medicines in the future.
The action of tea is consistent whether the beverage is iced or hot, he says. Simply by drinking it, we can activate its beneficial, hypertensive properties.
How Much Caffeine In One Cup Of Oolong Tea
Numerous factors can affect the caffeine content in any tea-
- Tea plant farming conditions
- Tea manufacturing procedure
- Tea brewing variables like steeping time, temperature of water and tea bag or loose tea leaves.
Thats why caffeine content is better suggested in ranges than quoting an exact number.
Various attempts have been made to measure the caffeine content in commercially available tea varieties and general ranges are suggested as below:
- Oolong tea is low in caffeine- almost one-fourth that of brewed coffee when consumed in the same quantity.
- The caffeine content in oolong tea is quite comparable to that of green tea.
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Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Regularly drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time.
Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:
- men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
- spread your drinking over 3 days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week
Benefits Of Tea For Blood Pressure
The antioxidants found in tea have also been shown to relax blood vessels, which helps lower blood pressure. One meta-analysis showed regular green and black tea intake was associated with a 3.53 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 0.99 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure .
A recent study built upon previous research that showed tea can help lower blood pressure. The researchers were looking for why tea has this effect on blood pressure.
The study found that two specific compounds affect a type of protein found in the smooth muscle that lines blood vessels. Activating this protein causes the blood vessels to relax, creating better blood flow, which lowers blood pressure.
Tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid that has been shown to lower blood pressure in people under stress, easing anxiety.
Its worth noting that the ritual of brewing tea, then sitting and enjoying a cup, also has a relaxing effect that can reduce stressanother factor in lowering blood pressure.
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Three Drinks To Lower Blood Pressure
Worried about high blood pressure? Try adding these heart-healthy drinks to your diet. Combined with regular exercise and a smart eating plan, they can help prevent and control hypertension. Here’s how.
If you’re serious about lowering your blood pressure, you probably already know to ditch high-sodium foods like deli meats, canned soups and frozen pizzas. Ditto for unhealthy fats and sugary sweets and sodas, which can pack on pounds and hike up your risk of hypertension.
But what about foods you need to eat more of? Research shows that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables plus lean protein can help prevent and control high blood pressure. That’s why many folks have turned to the plant-based DASH diet, an eating plan that’s been proven in clinical trials to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels.
Pictured Recipe:Hibiscus-Pomegranate Iced Tea
Of course, what you choose to drink matters, too. Here are three refreshing beverages backed by science to help lower blood pressureplus one to avoid. Add these three to a smart diet, get started with a safe exercise program, and you’ll be on your way to better blood pressure and a healthier heart. Cheers!
Pictured Recipe:Peanut Butter & Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Pictured Recipe:Cucumber-Peach Hibiscus Agua Fresca
Why Turmeric Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Is turmeric beneficial for elevated blood pressure? What is the relation between turmeric and blood pressure? Yes. Turmeric or Curcuma longa has an ingredient called curcumin, which has strong antioxidant, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps in lowering levels of blood cholesterol. It preserves the health of blood vessels by protecting them from free radical damage and allows smoother blood flow.
Curcumin also dilates arteries. According to researchers, curcumin prevents the transport of calcium that helps in the contraction of muscle cells, thereby, causing dilatation of the arteries. Hence, turmeric is a useful remedy for elevated blood pressure.
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Caffeine And Blood Pressure
Caffeine is a bitter substance found naturally in tea leaves and other plants. The Food and Drug Administration has recommended that healthy adults drink no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine each day. Regular tea can contain 14 to 60 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces, notes the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Small traces of caffeine will still be found in tea that is considered caffeine free, just less than their regular counterparts.
Caffeine has many effects on the body, such as stimulating your central nervous system so you feel energetic and awake. It may also increase your blood pressure temporarily, especially one hour after consumption, when it’s at peak level in the blood. The reason behind the brief rise in blood pressure is still unclear, and some people may be more sensitive to caffeine effects than others, according to the Mayo Clinic.
If you already deal with high blood pressure, it’s best to consult your doctor on whether you should limit or stop drinking caffeinated beverages. It’s also important to avoid drinking large amounts of caffeine before participating in activities that naturally raise your blood pressure, such as exercising or physical labor, says Mayo Clinic.
Read more:Caffeine in Green Tea Vs. Black Tea
Prevents And Treats High Blood Pressure
This is also because of the anti-inflammatory reasons I stated in the weight loss paragraph. For it to lower blood pressure you would need to drink two cups a day. In a 2008 research study, the volunteers who drank hibiscus tea had a 7.2 point drop in their systolic blood pressure, compared to a 1.3 point drop in those who drank placebo.
- The tea with the most antiviral properties
- The antioxidants relieves pain and may help to get a good nights sleep
- Can boost hair growth and hair color
Im sure the list could go on, but you get the picture. Im not getting into detail on every point in this list, but Im linking to other great sources to get deep into the health benefits of hibiscus tea.
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Role Of Polyphenols In Regulating Blood Pressure
The main polyphenols in teas include theaflavins, catechins, flavonoids, and tannins. In particular, green tea and black tea contain the catechin epigallocatechin gallate , plus other catechins like epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin gallate. Green tea also contains flavonols like quercetin and kaempferol.
What are the benefits of catechins in tea for high blood pressure? Catechins are able to maintain blood pressure balance through the regulation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase gene subtype and promote the expression of heme oxygenase.
Research also shows that catechins can inhibit RNA expression in patients with high blood pressure.
The EGCG and epicatechin have particularly strong heart health-promoting, antihypertensive capabilities. The concentration of catechins in green tea is also thought to be much higher than that of black tea.
Studies show that EGCG significantly reduces blood pressure in hypertensive rats. EGCG stimulates nitric oxide production, and this suggests that it can improve symptoms of hypertension.
The tannins, flavonoids, and theaflavins in tea have also been reported to lower blood pressure. Quercetin is also able to reduce blood pressure and lower the severity of hypertension, according to human studies. Quercetin is able to improve heart health by reducing oxidative stress.
Choose Your Teas Carefully
As part of a heart-healthy eating plan, your doctor or nutritionist may suggest drinking more tea and with good reason. Soothing, aromatic tea has certainly earned a spot on the list of approved foods and drinks for its myriad of mind and body benefits. Significantly lower in caffeine than coffee, the caffeine youll get in a cup of tea varies depending on the type of tea, the brand, how it was processed, and how long it steeps. A chemical analysis of caffeine content in teas steeped for five minutes found Exotica China White tea has 34 milligrams , Stash Premium Green tea has 39 mg, and Stash Earl Grey Black tea has 51 mg of caffeine in an 8 ounce cup.
When it comes to health benefits, the type of tea you drink matters, as do any medications you might be taking. You also have to consider your individual caffeine sensitivity. In general, the best types of tea are those made from the Camellia sinenses shrub: black, white, green, and Oolong, according to Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RD, a cardiovascular nutritionist and author of Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks Without Prescription Drugs.
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Black Tea May Help Reduce Insulin Resistance
Black tea comes from the same plant as green tea, so as with green tea, youll reap diabetes-friendly benefits. Though it’s the same plant, different processing methods are used to create it, explains Stefanski.
A review published in June 2019 in the journal Antioxidants notes that some epidemiological studies show that drinking black, green, or oolong tea may reduce the risk of developing diabetes or diabetes complications. Plus, the researchers suggest tea may work in the body in part by improving insulin resistance, playing an insulin-like role, as well as alleviating the inflammatory response.
Also, black tea may work to help people with diabetes in other ways. Animal studies on black tea have found it may reduce carbohydrate absorption and therefore improve blood glucose control however, more research is needed on humans, explains Palinski-Wade. A review published in December 2016 in the journal Molecules found that black tea lowered body weight in animals.
Other research, published in January 2017 in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that drinking black tea after consuming sugar helped control blood glucose. The small study looked at people with prediabetes as well as people without diabetes.
More positive news for black tea drinkers: Another review found that tea drinkers, including those who drink black tea, had a lower prevalence of incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Hold The Milk And Serve Your Tea Hot
Researchers in Abbotts lab found that the ion channels worked most efficiently under a direct application of pure black tea, rather than with the addition of milk.
We dont believe this means one needs to avoid milk when drinking tea to take advantage of the beneficial properties of tea, Abbott says. We are confident that the environment in the human stomach will separate the catechins from the proteins and other molecules in milk that would otherwise block catechins beneficial effects.
Further studies suggested tea yields beneficial antihypertensive properties even with the addition of milk. Additional research also showed that green tea is more effective when warmed to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Regardless of whether tea is consumed iced or hot, this temperature is achieved after tea is drunk, as the human body temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius, Abbott concludes. Thus, simply by drinking tea we activate its beneficial, antihypertensive properties.
Globally, about 30 percent of adults suffer from hypertension, which is the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease as well as early death. With the addition of these findings on KCNQ5, researchers can now focus on the production of a more effective antihypertensive medication to improve the health of people worldwide.
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Research Reveals How Tea May Lower Blood Pressure
- Drinking tea is associated with a range of health benefits, including reductions in blood pressure.
- Researchers have discovered how compounds called catechins, found in green and black teas, relax the smooth muscle that lines blood vessels, which may lead to lower blood pressure.
- The discovery could lead to the development of better medications for high blood pressure, also called hypertension.
- The finding could also inspire new treatments for a debilitating condition called epileptic encephalopathy.
Humans first drank caffeinated tea more than 4,000 years ago in China. Since then, it has become one of the most popular drinks worldwide, second only to water.
Both green and black teas are brewed from the leaves of the same shrub, Camellia sinensis, but green tea, which is made from unfermented leaves, contains more antioxidants.
Oxidation during the fermentation process of black tea reduces its antioxidant levels.
Several studies have found that green tea inhibits the formation of cancers, lowers high blood pressure, and reduces the risk of heart disease.
However, the molecular mechanism responsible for the effect on blood pressure has been unclear until now.
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, have found that antioxidants in tea open ion channels and can relax the muscles that line blood vessels.
They report their findings in the journal Cellular Physiology & Biochemistry.
This Is The Best Tea To Reduce Your Blood Pressure
This rose-colored tea can help your heart.
High blood pressure can lead to many health problems. Uncontrolled hypertension increases your risk for stroke and is often managed with prescribed medicine. But in addition to consulting your doctor for an effective treatment plan, you might want to consider sipping on some tea to lower your blood pressure.
7 Teas That Settle Your Stomach
Hibiscus tea has been shown in some studies to be quite effective at lowering blood pressure, said New York-based internist Dr. Frank Contacessa in an email. The anthocyanins and other antioxidants in hibiscus can lower blood pressure almost as much as some medications.
According to a 2010 study, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. proved to have antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. The authors found that daily consumption of hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure in pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.
Along with hibiscus, green tea can also help with hypertension. Theres research to show that supplementing your diet with green tea may provide significant reductions in blood pressure, per a review study in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Green tea is sometimes consumed in the form of matcha, a powdered version of the healthful compound.
Green tea contains flavonoids, which can help you maintain a healthy heart, New Jersey-based nutritionist Amy Gorin told The Daily Meal in an email. She recommends consuming at least 400 milligrams of flavonoids daily.
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Consuming Ginger Is A Natural To Control Your Blood Pressure And Keep Your Heart Healthy
Written by Poorva Chavan | Updated : December 22, 2015 11:07 AM IST
Hypertension is a common problem nowadays with most of us living a sedentary lifestyle. Add to it unhealthy eating habits like snacking on junk food, loaded with salt, and binge drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, all of this add to the rising blood pressure.
While medications do help in keeping blood pressure under control, there are certain natural remedies that also help the cause. Ginger is one such remedy and is also known for its cardiovascular benefits. Ginger is commonly used in Indian cuisine and is easily available. It relaxes the muscles surrounding the blood vessels and improves blood circulation, which helps in lowering blood pressure . Here are 10 amazing health benefits of ginger.
Using ginger regularly in your diet, either by drinking ginger tea every day or including it as a spice in your food, can help control blood pressure and also prevent heart disease.
Best Teas To Help Manage Blood Pressure Levels
There are many types of tea to lower blood pressure. In this section, well identify which are most effective, according to studies. Each tea may have a different effect on your blood pressure. What is the best blood pressure tea?
Here are nearly a dozen teas that lower blood pressure to keep in mind:
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Electrical Activity In The Brain
KCNQ5 also exists in the membranes of nerves in the brain, where it helps regulate electrical activity and signal transmission.
People with a disorder called epileptic encephalopathy have a version of the channel protein that does not respond effectively to voltage changes, which leads to frequent seizures.
The study authors point out that catechins can cross the blood-brain barrier, which prevents larger molecules, including some drugs, from entering the brain.
In theory, drugs modeled on catechin molecules could, therefore, help correct the cause of epileptic encephalopathy.
Discovery of their ability to activate KCNQ5 may suggest a future mechanism to fix broken KCNQ5 channels to ameliorate brain excitability disorders stemming from their dysfunction, the researchers conclude.