Being diagnosed with high blood pressure requires diligent treatment and adjustments to your lifestyle. Some people wish to use natural treatments when controlling blood pressure like apple cider vinegar. Limited research studies have shown vinegar to have a positive effect on blood pressure, but there isn't enough evidence to warrant suggesting the use of apple cider vinegar in lieu of traditional treatments.
Health Effects of High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is a term used to describe the amount of force or pressure required to move blood throughout your body. A reading of 120/80 mmHg constitutes high blood pressure or hypertension, according to MedlinePlus. This condition is often symptomless but can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.
Acetic Acid
It is the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar that is primarily thought to have an effect on blood pressure. Acetic acid lowered the blood pressure of laboratory rats that had previously tested positive for mild hypertension, according to a study published in 2001 in "Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry" conducted by the Central Research Institute in Japan. Of course, more research is necessary to see if these results would also occur in humans.
Lower Cholesterol, Lower Blood Pressure
Having high cholesterol levels means your arteries are likely blocked with plaque. This causes an increase in blood pressure. However, reducing cholesterol reduces blood pressure. Apple cider vinegar was found to attach to cholesterol and clear it from the body, according to a Howard University study published in the "Journal of Nutrition" in 1989. Again, more research is needed to see if these results can be duplicated in larger-scale studies.
Treating High Blood Pressure
Apple cider vinegar does seem to have an effect on blood pressure, but with so few studies completed at the time of publication, it is not yet a viable treatment alternative. For now, it is best to treat high blood pressure the old fashioned way — eating a low sodium diet, shedding extra fat, exercising often and taking prescribed medications like diuretics, according to MedlinePlus.
References
- MedlinePlus; Hypertension; June 2011
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Effects of Dietary Fish Oil or Pectin on Blood Pressure and Lipid Metabolism in the DOCA-Salt Hypertensive Rat; V. Bond et.al; May 1989
- "Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry"; Antihypertensive Effects of Aetic Acid and Vinegar on Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats; S Kondo et.al.; Dec 2001
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