Sip Hibiscus Tea to Help Lower Blood Pressure

Tea brewed from lovely flower buds may help keep your blood pressure in check -- if those buds are hibiscus.

In a study, drinking 3 cups of hibiscus tea per day appeared to help lower systolic blood pressure by an average of seven points in people with prehypertension or mildly elevated blood pressure.

Happy News About Hibiscus
Assuming you don't load it up with sugar, brewed tea is one of the healthiest drinks around. And the flavonoids and polyphenols in hibiscus tea may be the reason for the blood-pressure-busting benefits observed in the study, which was funded jointly by the USDA and the tea industry. More research is needed to confirm the findings. But here's another great reason to drink up while we wait for the final word.

Know Your Numbers
Do you know your blood pressure? You should. Blood pressure has one of the greatest impacts on your RealAge. Keeping your blood pressure at 115/76 mm Hg can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger! Here's your blood pressure to-do list:

• Change the way you cook.
• Exercise daily. Even if all you can manage are short 10-minute bursts.
• Chill out. Stress ages your arteries, but you can get calm with a little chi-gong.
• Eat more fruit. Here are 12 fruits that may help lower blood pressure or offer other great health benefits.

Need more tips and encouragement to take control of your blood pressure? Take the RealAge Heart Health Assessment to get a personalized plan for lowering your numbers.

Abstract 3278: Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. McKay, D. L. et al., Circulation 2008;118:S1123.