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How nutrition works

Blood pressure

How diet, minerals and salt can influence blood pressure.

Blood pressure depends on many factors, including diet, body weight and physical activity. Here you find which nutrients and foods play a role according to studies – with evidence level and sources.

Nutrients & foods

  • Evidence: strong

    Banana

    • Bananas provide potassium. Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure. [1][2][3]

      Authorised EU claim

  • Evidence: strong

    Dietary fibre

    • Higher fibre intake can lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults with hypertension. [4]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: limited

    Magnesium

    • Magnesium supplements may modestly lower blood pressure in some adults, particularly those with hypertension or low magnesium status. [5]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: strong

    Potassium

    • Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure. [1][6][7][8]

      Authorised EU claim

  • Evidence: limited

    Psyllium husk

    • Psyllium husk may slightly reduce systolic blood pressure in adults; a clear effect on diastolic blood pressure has not been demonstrated. [9]

      Evidence

Sources

  1. 01European Commission · 2012Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children's development and healthOpen source
  2. 02European Parliament and Council of the European Union · 2011Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumersOpen source
  3. 03U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service – FoodData Central · 2019Bananas, raw (FDC ID 173944, SR Legacy)Open source
  4. 042022Dietary fibre in hypertension and cardiovascular disease management: systematic review and meta-analysesOpen source
  5. 052025Magnesium Supplementation and Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsPubMed 41000008Open source
  6. 06EFSA Journal · 2016Dietary reference values for potassiumOpen source
  7. 07BMJ · 2013Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analysesOpen source
  8. 082020Potassium Intake and Blood Pressure: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsOpen source
  9. 09Food Science & Nutrition · 2024The effect of psyllium consumption on blood pressure: Systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsDOI 10.1002/fsn3.3863