Broccoli: Can It Help With Low Blood Pressure? (Expert Answer)
✪ Key Takeaway: Broccoli can lower blood pressure, so it may worsen hypotension if you already have low blood pressure readings. Introduction You wake up feeling dizzy, your vision blurs when you stand, and you wonder if your food choices are making things worse. You might be asking this question because you have low blood pressure and you have heard that broccoli is a healthy vegetable, but you are not sure if it will help or hurt your condition. Hi, I am Abdur, your nutrition coach and today I am going to explain how broccoli affects your blood pressure and whether you should include it in your diet when dealing with hypotension. Does Broccoli Lower or Raise Blood Pressure? Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that contains compounds called glucosinolates, which break down into active substances that affect your cardiovascular system. Research shows that people who eat cruciferous vegetables like broccoli regularly tend to have lower blood pressure compared to those who eat root vegetables or squash. A study published in 2024 found that participants who consumed four servings of cruciferous vegetables daily experienced a reduction of 2.5 mmHg in their 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. This happens because compounds in broccoli help relax your blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow through them with less force against the vessel walls. When your blood vessels relax, the pressure inside them naturally decreases, which is great for people with high blood pressure but problematic for those with already low readings. So
