Hypertension, or having high blood pressure, is a common condition that is thought to affect around one in three adults.
It refers to the pressure of the blood in your arteries – the vessels that carry blood around the body.
A certain amount of pressure is needed to keep the blood moving, however, if it is consistently high this is cause for concern.
This is because prolonged high blood pressure places extra pressure on the heart and other organs.
It is a major risk factor in a number of medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes.
Some people will be more likely to develop high blood pressure than others due to things that are beyond their control, such as being aged over 65 and having a family history of the condition.
However, there are certain lifestyle factors that can also lead to high blood pressure.
These include:
- A poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol.
Diet is one of the main contributing factors to high blood pressure, with eating too much salt the main culprit.
Sodium, which is found in salt, makes the body hold on to water, which raises blood pressure.
While cutting back on salt will help this problem, there are also certain foods that can actively help counteract the impact of salt.
Potassium is a mineral known to do this. It helps the body remove salt through urine.
It also relaxes blood vessel walls, furthering its blood pressure-lowering effects.
One food rich in potassium is sweet potato. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of sweet potato contains around 337mg of potassium.
Sian Porter, consultant dietitian to the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, spoke with Express.co.uk to explain more.
She said: “Amongst other nutritional benefits, sweet potatoes are a source of potassium.
“Potassium is an essential mineral that contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure as part of a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
“The DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet based on robust research studies has been shown to effectively lower blood pressure.
“Blood pressure control with the DASH diet involves a low salt diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat or non-fat dairy and whole grains. This combination provides a diet rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fibre.
“Sweet potatoes, in addition to being a source of potassium, count as one portion of your five-a-day, as well as being high in fibre and very low salt so tick many of the dietary boxes for managing high blood pressure.”
She added: “By including foods that are a source of potassium and high in fibre as well as providing a portion of vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, you can help maintain normal blood pressure as part of a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.”
Other foods high in potassium include:
- Dried apricots
- Prunes
- Bananas
- Pumpkin
- Orange juice.
