Best supplements for hypertension: Daily pill shown to help lower your BP reading - Express

Supplements are often used to help with a multitude of health conditions with some fairing better than others. A popular all-in-one daily pill could help to lower your blood pressure reading and further reduce hypertension risk.

Magnesium is a mineral that's critical for many bodily functions, including blood pressure regulation.

Studies show that magnesium supplements may help reduce blood pressure by increasing the production of nitric oxide — a signalling molecule that helps relax blood vessels.

A review of 10 studies in over 200,000 people suggested that greater dietary intake of magnesium may protect against high blood pressure in the first place.

Every 100-mg daily increase in dietary magnesium was linked to a five percent reduction in high blood pressure risk.

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A study published in the National Library of Health looked at the effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure was analysed.

The study looked at randomised controlled trials to determine the pooled effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure in participants with preclinical or noncommunicable diseases.

The study found that magnesium, taken at 365–450 mg per day over an average of 3.6 months, significantly reduced blood pressure in people with chronic medical conditions.

"The pooled results suggest that magnesium supplementation significantly lowers blood pressure in individuals with insulin resistance, prediabetes, or other noncommunicable chronic diseases," concluded the study.

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Indeed, the mechanisms for how magnesium lowers blood pressure "have been confirmed by laboratory studies," the researchers wrote.

The mineral helps to prevent blood vessels from constricting, which can increase blood pressure and has been shown to improve blood flow, for example.

The researchers pointed out that magnesium may only have an effect if a person doesn't normally get enough of the mineral in his or her diet.  

"With its relative safety and low cost, magnesium supplements could be considered as an option for lowering blood pressure in high-risk persons or hypertension patients," said lead author Dr Yiqing, associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University.

He added: "Consistent with previous studies, our evidence suggests that the anti-hypertensive effect of magnesium might be only effective among people with magnesium deficiency or insufficiency.

"Such suggestive evidence indicates that maintenance of optimal magnesium status in the human body may help prevent or treat hypertension."