Cranberry: Can It Help With Low Blood Pressure? (Expert Answer)
✪ Key Takeaway: Cranberry lowers blood pressure rather than raising it, making it unsuitable for treating hypotension. Introduction You wake up feeling dizzy, your vision blurs when you stand, and someone suggests drinking cranberry juice to help. You might be asking this question because you have low blood pressure and heard that cranberry offers health benefits, so you wonder if it could raise your numbers to a healthier range. Hi, I am Abdur, your nutrition coach, and today I am going to explain how cranberry affects blood pressure, whether it helps with hypotension, and what the science actually reveals about this popular berry. Does Cranberry Raise Blood Pressure? The short answer is no, cranberry does not raise blood pressure. Research consistently shows that cranberry actually lowers blood pressure in people who consume it regularly. A study published in 2012 found that drinking low-calorie cranberry juice significantly reduced blood pressure in participants over eight weeks. The reduction occurred in both systolic pressure, which is the top number, and diastolic pressure, which is the bottom number. This effect happens because cranberries contain compounds called polyphenols, which are plant chemicals that help relax blood vessels. When your blood vessels relax, they widen, allowing blood to flow more easily, which naturally decreases the pressure against vessel walls. If you already have low blood pressure, consuming cranberry products could potentially make your condition worse rather than better. ✪ Fact: Cranberry juice reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 3 mmHg in clinical studies, which
