The Best Beverage for the Best Blood Pressure

If you struggle with high blood pressure, you’re not alone. In America, 45% of all adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure, which increases the risk of two leading causes of death in the US: heart disease and stroke.(1) 

Of course, taking medication to lower blood pressure can be part of the solution, but it’s not completely effective in controlling the effects of blood pressure, comes with side effects and does not cure the problem. Making lifestyle changes can be important because of the potential for lowering blood pressure and decreasing the amount of medication needed, with the added bonus of no negative side effects.(2) 

A simple lifestyle habit that can help optimize blood pressure is drinking water.

How does drinking water affect blood pressure? 

Here’s what happened in a randomized, placebo-controlled 12-week trial involving 24 healthy men and 31 healthy women. 

In the intervention group, 4-⅔ cups of water were added to the participants' habitual fluid intake. They increased their average fluid intake from 5.5 cups to 8.5 cups without changing the amount of their daily calories. 

The control group drank no additional water. 

Systolic blood pressure was significantly decreased in the group drinking additional water. Also, the water supplementation diluted blood waste materials and protected kidney function, important factors for optimizing blood pressure.(3)

That’s the potential power of choosing to drink more water.

What about other popular beverages?

How do they affect blood pressure? After all, they’re mostly water. Turns out regular and diet sodas, coffee and alcohol, even at moderate intake, have all been shown to raise blood pressure, increasing risk of hypertension.(4-10)  

If you’re struggling with high blood pressure, start to choose water more often than other beverages.

Steps to take to optimize your blood pressure

1. Drink enough water throughout the day to keep your urine pale yellow.

2. If you’re not a water-drinker, start with two cups in the morning before breakfast. Once that becomes a habit, add two cups before lunch and eventually two cups before dinner. 

3. Eliminate or limit both sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened beverages to one a day or less.

4. Eliminate or limit coffee to one 8-ounce cup a day or less.

5. If you drink alcohol, limit it to one standard drink a day or less.

If you are under medical supervision, please consult with your doctor before following these recommendations.

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm

2. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure

3. Nakamura Y, Watanabe H, Tanaka A, Yasui M, Nishihira J, Murayama N. Effect of Increased Daily Water Intake and Hydration on Health in Japanese Adults. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):1191. Published 2020 Apr 23. doi:10.3390/nu12041191

4. Beilin LJ, Puddey IB. Alcohol and hypertension: an update. Hypertension. 2006 Jun;47(6):1035-8. doi: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000218586.21932.3c. Epub 2006 Apr 3. PMID: 16585405.

5. Puddey IB, Mori TA, Barden AE, Beilin LJ. Alcohol and Hypertension-New Insights and Lingering Controversies. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2019 Sep 7;21(10):79. doi: 10.1007/s11906-019-0984-1. PMID: 31494743.

6. Puddey IB, Beilin LJ. Alcohol is bad for blood pressure. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2006 Sep;33(9):847-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2006.04452.x. PMID: 16922819.

7. Malik AH, Akram Y, Shetty S, Malik SS, Yanchou Njike V. Impact of sugar-sweetened beverages on blood pressure. Am J Cardiol. 2014 May 1;113(9):1574-80. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2014.01.437. Epub 2014 Feb 12. PMID: 24630785.

8. Kim Y, Je Y. Prospective association of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage intake with risk of hypertension. Arch Cardiovasc Dis. 2016 Apr;109(4):242-53. doi: 10.1016/j.acvd.2015.10.005. Epub 2016 Jan 19. PMID: 26869455.

9. Mort JR, Kruse HR. Timing of blood pressure measurement related to caffeine consumption. Ann Pharmacother. 2008 Jan;42(1):105-10. doi: 10.1345/aph.1K337. Epub 2007 Dec 19. PMID: 18094346.

10. James JE. Critical review of dietary caffeine and blood pressure: a relationship that should be taken more seriously. Psychosom Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;66(1):63-71. doi: 10.1097/10.psy.0000107884.78247.f9. PMID: 14747639.