How A Fibre-Rich Diet Helps In Managing High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is a condition where your blood exerts more than usual pressure on the blood vessels while flowing through them. There are many factors that influence blood pressure – one of them being your diet.

Eating a diet rich in fibre may reduce blood pressure. Let’s look at why fibre is important for people with hypertension –

When you eat a diet, which is high in fibre then your chances of having digestive issues also come down. This is because when fibre moves through your digestive system, it also eliminates other foods it comes in contact with.

Researchers found that consuming fibre in sufficient amounts may reduce high blood pressure. However, they could not figure out the exact reason for this.

Not just a reduction in blood pressure, fibre can also lower cholesterol, blood sugar and normalize bowel movements.

What is the recommended intake of fibre?

For those below 50 years of age:

Women: 25 gms per day

Men: 31-38 gms per day

For those over 50 years of age:

21 gms per day

In a study in the Journal of Hypertension, researchers looked at 25 studies where patients of hypertension were given a fibre rich diet. Their diets included good amounts of cereal, fruit, vegetables, and fibre supplements.

They observed that adding fibre to the diet can cause a significant reduction in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic).

Some fibre rich snacks you can include in your diet –

• Peanut butter with apple slices
• Roasted chickpeas
• Whole grain toast
• Oatmeal mixed with bananas, raisins and berries