A group of scientists from the University of Maine discovered something interesting about vitamins. They found that certain vitamins could help lower blood pressure.
Did you know that a lot of people around the world have high blood pressure?
About 12.8% can’t even lower it with medicines. This means they have what’s called drug-resistant high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is a measure of how hard your heart works to pump blood.
The ideal blood pressure number should be lower than 140/90. But now, doctors say it should be even lower, like 130/80.
A Special Thing called Homocysteine
There’s a thing inside our body called homocysteine. It works with vitamins in our body. If we don’t have enough of certain vitamins like B6, B12, folate, and B2, homocysteine can go up.
This is not good because it can make our blood vessels smaller and lead to high blood pressure and other problems.
The Magic of B Vitamins
The scientists found out that giving people more of these B vitamins can help lower homocysteine. This can help lower blood pressure.
It’s like a magic trick, but it’s real! And the best part is, it doesn’t cost a lot of money because these vitamins are not expensive.
But Not Everyone Agrees
Some people aren’t sure if this trick works for everyone. That’s why the scientists did a lot of reading to see what other people found out.
What They Discovered
After all their reading, they learned that giving people B vitamins could lower their blood pressure by 6 to 13 points. That’s like going from 140 to 127, which is a good thing!
What’s Normal for Homocysteine?
So what should homocysteine levels be? Most people say it should be less than 10, but some say it can be as high as 11.4. But these scientists think it should be even lower to keep us safe.
A Little Extra Help
B vitamins could be an extra helper for people who can’t lower their blood pressure with medicine. But remember, if you need to take vitamins, always talk to your doctor first.
The scientists who discovered this are led by a man named Merrill Elias. They shared their discovery in a big book called the American Journal of Hypertension. And that’s how we found out about the magic of B vitamins!
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure and the best time to take high blood pressure drugs.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about new ways to reduce blood pressure effectively, and results showing plant-based foods could benefit people with high blood pressure.
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