Nutritionist Lists 10 Foods That Support Blood Pressure Treatment as 1 in 3 Nigerian Adults Have Hypertension
Updated
Updated · Guardian Nigeria · May 28
Nutritionist Lists 10 Foods That Support Blood Pressure Treatment as 1 in 3 Nigerian Adults Have Hypertension
1 articles · Updated · Guardian Nigeria · May 28
10 everyday foods — including leafy vegetables, beans, oily fish, bananas and water — can support blood pressure treatment for Nigerians, clinical nutritionist Fiyinfoluwa Odukoya said.
Potassium, magnesium, omega-3s, calcium and compounds such as allicin and citrulline may help the body shed excess salt, relax blood vessels and ease strain on the heart.
Common local options such as ugu, bitter leaf, black-eyed beans, sardines, plain yoghurt and fluted pumpkin seeds were highlighted as practical choices already found in many homes.
One in three Nigerian adults lives with high blood pressure, according to WHO and local studies, underscoring Odukoya's call to pair medication with healthier eating, less salt, exercise and regular checkups.
Food was framed as support rather than a cure, with Odukoya warning that items such as garlic or bitter kola should not replace prescribed hypertension drugs.
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Is Nigeria's public health policy worsening the very hypertension crisis it should be fighting?