Does Celery Lower High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Finding simple ways to lower it is invaluable, especially considering high blood pressure affects one in three people in the United States.
Celery is a leafy stalk vegetable with an unmistakable flavor used in many types of cooking around the world. And celery has long been associated with lowering blood pressure.
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How It Works
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According to the American Heart Association, blood pressure is defined as "the force in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure)." High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined as "blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 diastolic pressure."
The narrower the arteries are, the more the pressure will be that's exerted against artery walls. Celery is rich in a yellow crystalline chemical called apigenin. Studies have shown apigenin causes blood vessels to dilate.
And the unmistakable smell and taste of celery? The cause is a chemical called "3nb," said Dr. Michael T. Murray in an article on MyHealthMyBody.com. That chemical, Murray said, makes blood vessels more elastic, which can lead to lower blood pressure. 3nB has also been linked to reducing vascular stress.
What About Sodium?
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It is true that celery has a higher sodium content than most vegetables, and sodium is an element that people with high blood pressure should avoid. However, the consensus appears to be that celery's benefits outweigh the harm.
How Much Celery Does it Take?
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According to Murray, researchers at the University of Chicago said their findings showed that when some people with high blood pressure ate a quarter pound of celery per day for one week, their blood pressure returned to normal.
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