High blood pressure is not a disease. It is a clue. The body raises blood pressure for a reason. If you want to improve blood pressure naturally, it helps to identify the underlying causes.

High Blood Pressure Is a “Clue”

Supporting the health of the blood vessel lining and relaxing the blood vessels can both help to lower blood pressure. Several nutrients do this.  Magnesium is important for the health of the blood vessel lining1,2,3,4,5,6. Low magnesium is associated with increased angiotensin (a hormone that tightens the blood vessel), and arterial stiffness that leads to high blood pressure17,8,9,10,11.

[1] Deal with Insulin Insensitivity and Lose Weight.

  • Insulin insensitivity (also called “insulin resistance”): Before discussing supplements, start with insulin resistance. Many experts believe that excess insulin contributes to approximately half of all high blood pressure cases. If you are eating too much sugar and starch, improving insulin sensitivity may be one of the most important steps you can take.
  • Lose weight: This is related to the insulin insensitivity issue, because insulin resistance and being overweight are closely linked. If there is less of you for the blood to reach, the blood pressure will go down.

[2] Are You Getting Enough Magnesium?

Magnesium is nature’s muscle relaxer. If you are deficient, the smooth muscles of your blood vessels are probably too “tight”, increasing blood pressure [26-30]. Also, most people with insulin insensitivity are magnesium deficient.

[3] Isometric Exercises

The prolonged muscle contraction increases the production of nitric oxide. Reduced blood flow during the hold deprives cells of oxygen, triggering a release of metabolites. Over time, repeated isometrics calm the sympathetic nervous system (your “fight or flight” response), reducing baseline cardiovascular strain.  Pumping blood against sustained muscle tension increases cardiac output. Over time, this strengthens the heart, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently with less pressure [25].

[4] Arginine and Nitric Oxide

Arginine is another supplement that is important for lowering blood pressure. It is a precursor to nitric oxide, which helps relax the blood vessels. Relaxing the blood vessels with arginine can help lower blood pressure12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23.

4 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Discuss this with your doctor first. If you are taking blood pressure medication, keep taking it. Work with your doctor to lower your dosage as your lifestyle improves.

  1. Roadmap to Health diet: This is a low glycemic diet (as well as anti-inflammatory). It will help get insulin insensitivity, which is responsible for about half of the cases of high blood pressure, under control. Also, it will enable you to lose weight (click for other weight loss strategies).
  2. Magnesium: Take a magnesium supplement (start with about 400 mg), if stools become too soft, lower the dose [26-30].
  3. Arginine: Take about 1,000 mg (usually 2 capsules), 3x/day.
  4. Isometric exercises—like wall sits and planks—are highly effective for lowering resting blood pressure. Research shows that just 3 weekly sessions of static, sustained muscle contractions can lead to significant drops in both systolic and diastolic readings.

We Are NOT Treating High Blood Pressure:

We are using high blood pressure as a clue to what health issues may need support. If the above does not get your blood pressure under control, do not despair. You may have other issues that need to be addressed. These include:

  • Adrenal hormones: Overproduction of adrenal hormones (like cortisol), because of stress or other reasons, can cause blood pressure to increase. Click here to learn more about getting cortisol under control.
  • Arteriosclerosis: “Hard” arteries get in the way of the effort to relax them to lower blood pressure. Taking vitamin K2 and CoQ10 may help here.
  • Other: Food sensitivity, inflammation, biliary stasis, and kidney issues to name a few of the underlying issues that can cause high blood pressure. Discuss this with your doctor or find a physician who understands natural healthcare.

Selected References:

  1. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jun 11;19(6):1724 Role of Magnesium Deficiency in Promoting Atherosclerosis, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Arterial Stiffening as Risk Factors for Hypertension
  2. J Hypertens. 2017 Jan;35(1):89-97 Oral magnesium supplementation improves endothelial function and attenuates subclinical atherosclerosis in thiazide-treated hypertensive women
  3. Mol Aspects Med. 2003 Feb-Jun;24(1-3):137-46 Low magnesium and atherosclerosis: an evidence-based link
  4. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Jun 15;169(12):1437-44 Serum and dietary magnesium and risk of ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
  5. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 May 24;1689(1):13-21 Low magnesium promotes endothelial cell dysfunction: implications for atherosclerosis, inflammation and thrombosis
  6. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Jan 1;111(1):52-60 Serum magnesium and the incidence of coronary artery disease over a median 27 years of follow-up in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and a meta-analysis
  7. Pregnancy Hypertens. 2020 Nov 24;23:56-58 Plasma angiotensin II levels in women with severe preeclampsia under magnesium sulfate regimen
  8. J Hypertens. 2005 Feb;23(2):375-80 Magnesium supplementation prevents angiotensin II-induced myocardial damage and CTGF overexpression
  9. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2006 Jul;291(1):H436-40. Cardiac fibrogenesis in magnesium deficiency: a role for circulating angiotensin II and
  10. Eur J Clin Invest. 2015 Nov;45(11):1129-44 Angiotensin II prevents calcification in vascular smooth muscle cells by enhancing magnesium influx
  11. J Lab Clin Med. 1993 Oct;122(4):432-40. Effects of magnesium on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in human subjects
  12. Clin Sci (Lond). 1995 Feb;88(2):135-9. L-arginine increases exhaled nitric oxide in normal human subjects
  13. Hypertens Pregnancy. 2007;26(1):121-30. L-arginine supplementation in patients with gestational hypertension: a pilot study
  14. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2009 Mar;36(3):249-55. Role of L-arginine in nitric oxide production in health and hypertension
  15. Clin Sci (Lond). 2015 Jan;128(1):57-67. Arginine infusion in patients with septic shock increases nitric oxide production without haemodynamic instability
  16. Biochem J. 1998 Nov 15;336 ( Pt 1)(Pt 1):1-17. Arginine Metabolism: Nitric Oxide and Beyond
  17. Free Radic Res. 2019 Mar;53(3):281-292 L-Arginine and Tetrahydrobiopterin Supported Nitric Oxide Production Is Crucial for the Microbicidal Activity of Neutrophils
  18. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jan;89(1):77-84. Increase in Fasting Vascular Endothelial Function After Short-Term Oral L-arginine Is Effective When Baseline Flow-Mediated Dilation Is Low: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
  19. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Feb 14;114(7):1714-1719. Sirtuin1-regulated Lysine Acetylation of p66Shc Governs Diabetes-Induced Vascular Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Dysfunction
  20. 2019 Apr;73(4):839-848. Dietary Nitrate Reduces Blood Pressure in Rats With Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension via Mechanisms That Involve Reduction of Sympathetic Hyperactivity
  21. Clin Sci (Lond). 2019 Oct 30;133(20):2061-2067. Impaired L-Arginine-Nitric Oxide Pathway Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Resistant Hypertension
  22. 2012 Apr;59(4):825-32. Nitric Oxide Production and Endothelium-Dependent Vasorelaxation Ameliorated by N1-methylnicotinamide in Human Blood Vessels
  23. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2014 Jul;16(7):524-9 Acute Effects of an Oral Nitric Oxide Supplement on Blood Pressure, Endothelial Function, and Vascular Compliance in Hypertensive Patients
  24. Sports Med. 2024 May 19;54(6):1459–1497. Isometric Exercise Training and Arterial Hypertension: An Updated Review
  25. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jun 11;19(6):1724 Role of Magnesium Deficiency in Promoting Atherosclerosis, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Arterial Stiffening as Risk Factors for Hypertension
  26. J Hypertens. 2017 Jan;35(1):89-97 Oral magnesium supplementation improves endothelial function and attenuates subclinical atherosclerosis in thiazide-treated hypertensive women
  27. Mol Aspects Med. 2003 Feb-Jun;24(1-3):137-46 Low magnesium and atherosclerosis: an evidence-based link
  28. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Jun 15;169(12):1437-44 Serum and dietary magnesium and risk of ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
  29. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 May 24;1689(1):13-21 Low magnesium promotes endothelial cell dysfunction: implications for atherosclerosis, inflammation and thrombosis
  30. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Jan 1;111(1):52-60 Serum magnesium and the incidence of coronary artery disease over a median 27 years of follow-up in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and a meta-analysis