What is high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the measurement of how strong the pressure is from your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries.
Usually, blood pressure is measured in mmHg (standing for millimetres of mercury).
There are actually two different “types” of blood pressure under this measurement.
- Systolic blood pressure – this is the highest pressure that your blood pumps against your arteries. Anything between 110–130 mmHg would be considered “healthy” systolic pressure.
- Diastolic – this is the pressure felt in your arteries while your heart relaxes and the blood refills. Anything between 70–80 mmHg would be considered “healthy” diastolic pressure.
However, keep in mind that these are just estimated targets. Generally speaking, the lower you are able to keep your blood pressure is better. This is even moreso if your family has a known trend of heart disease or diabetes, or if people in your family line have been known to suffer strokes or heart attacks.
Can Manuka Honey help with high blood pressure?
Is Manuka honey good for high blood pressure? There is some interesting literature on the topic.
According to one study in Poland, the acetylcholine present in Manuka honey lowers blood pressure and improves blood circulation.
A 2020 study showed that Manuka honey protects the heart via lipid metabolism improvement, antioxidative activity, blood pressure modulation, heartbeat restoration, myocardial infarct area reduction, antiaging properties, and cell apoptosis attenuation.
Another 2020 study showed that a light to moderate intake of honey was associate with lower blood pressure in women.
In the book “The Healing Powers of Honey”, Cal Orey claims that oligosaccharides found in honey, which act as an antioxidant, also have the ability to lower blood pressure.
Therefore, there is some legitimate science to show that Manuka honey and honey in general does have a protective affect when it comes to high blood pressure and keeping it within the healthy range.
How to add manuka honey to your diet for high blood pressure?
A great way to incorporate Manuka Honey into your diet is as a sugar substitute.
Instead of putting two spoonfuls of sugar in your coffee, put two spoonfuls of Manuka honey. The same goes for your cooking, baking, oatmeal, or any other food you add sugar to regularly.
Because manuka honey has a positive effect on blood pressure, as well as a great nutritional profile with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antibacterial properties, it’s one of the superfoods that is so easy to add to your daily routine and so beneficial as well.
