Vegetable juices are often discussed because of their many health benefits. Carrot juice is one of them, but it’s typically not mentioned when talking about blood pressure. If you’re looking to add a new juice to your blood pressure arsenal, you may ask, does carrot juice help blood pressure?
Carrot juice can help blood pressure and has been shown in research to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Carrot juice contains potassium which helps lower blood pressure by reducing fluid in the body. In addition, carrot juice contains Vitamin C which helps blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and increasing nitric oxide.
This blog post will inform you how carrot juice helps blood pressure. I’ll provide the details how and the science to back up the claims. Therefore, if you’re looking for a new drink to lower blood pressure, read on!
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Disclaimer: Some of links in this article are affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How Carrot Juice Helps Blood Pressure
Potassium
While carrots are mostly known for Vitamin A, they also contain a good amount of potassium. Potassium has been shown in more than one way to lower blood pressure. Your kidneys filter your blood and remove excess water. To do this properly, they need a healthy balance of water, salt, sodium and potassium.
If your body has too much sodium or not enough potassium, the kidneys will be less efficient in removing excess fluid from your body. The American Heart Association recommends about 4,700 mg of potassium per day and 1,200-1500 mg of sodium1. One cup of carrots contains 410 mg2.
The potassium to sodium ratio is approximately 4:1. Some people are consuming more sodium than potassium leading to fluid retention. Too much fluid causes the heart to pump harder and places more pressure on the walls of your blood vessels3. The more potassium you consume the more sodium is flushed from your body.
According to Harvard Health4 low levels of potassium have been associated with high blood pressure. In addition, potassium has been shown to help your blood vessels to relax. A blood vessel that’s unhardened can pump blood easier and more freely.
The recommended levels of potassium and sodium may not be beneficial for you if you have kidney problems or perform activities where your sweat more than the average person.
BP Smoothie Tip: I often add carrot juice, green vegetable juice and pomegranate juice in a blender. I’ll add frozen fruit instead of ice and other ingredients proven to lower BP. I have 5 BP smoothie recipes in my free e-book. Check them out and much other valuable information by clicking right here, Top Tips Health Guide.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is known for its immune boosting capabilities but it’s beneficial for blood pressure too. One cup of carrots contains 13% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
Therefore, how does vitamin C help blood pressure? Oxidative stress can damage your blood vessels walls. The antioxidant activities of vitamin C can help protect your blood vessels from damage ((Oregon State University: High Blood Pressure)).
In addition, vitamin C increases the availability of nitric oxide5. This is important because nitric oxide helps to relax the walls of your blood vessels. A relaxed blood vessel allows blood to flow easier and the heart can work with less stress.
According to Oxford State University, the higher vitamin C status of your body, the lower the blood pressure6.
A study performed by John Hopkins Medicine examined 29 different clinical trials. They found people who supplemented with 500 mg of vitamin c a day for eight weeks lowered blood pressure. Systolic decreased 4.85 mmHg and diastolic 1.67 mmHg ((John Hopkins Medicine: Big Doses of Vitamin C May Lower Blood Pressure)).
Fiber
Only 1 out of 4 people consume the recommended 25 to 30 g of fiber. Since 1 out of 3 people have high blood pressure, consuming more fiber from carrots may be beneficial. A study released in 2019, found an association between a high fiber diet and a reduced risk of high blood pressure7.
The study included 200 people who had both high blood pressure and diabetes. The group was given a nutritional plan which contained about 38 grams of fiber from food. After six months the high-fiber diet improved systolic blood pressure 15%. In addition, cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting blood sugar was also reduced.
One cup of carrots contains 14% of the recommenced amount of fiber. Other vegetable juices, like the top 4 for blood pressure listed in my blog post, Best Vegetable Juice For High Blood Pressure, also contain some fiber.
Carrot Juice Study
Potassium, vitamin C and fiber have been shown above to reduce blood pressure in the studies listed above. How about carrot juice? In one study, the participants consumed 16 ounces of carrot juice every day for three months. The researchers found systolic blood pressure was reduced 6 mmHg and diastolic 2 mmHg8.
Another study analyzed the effect of carrot juice on plasma lips profiles in smokers. One of the factors measured was blood pressure. After drinking 10 ounces of carrot juice every day for eight weeks, the participants systolic blood pressure decreased 5.8 mmHg and diastolic 3.6 mmHg9.
There’s two easy ways to consume carrot juice. I take the easy way out and buy a bottle of 100% real carrot juice with nothing added. The other way is to juice your carrots.
I use and recommend Breville Juicers. I love their style because they look good on my counter unlike other juicers. In addition, they’re reliable and I never have any issues. Check them out on Amazon by clicking here, Breville juicers.
Wrapping Up The Carrot Juice
Consider adding carrot juice to your smoothies. It’s a great way to increase the blood pressure benefits. With science backed results from potassium, vitamin C and fiber, it’s hard to go wrong.
Don’t forget to check out my BP smoothies mentioned above. Use a high speed blender like the Ninja one I use with six, tiered blades running up the middle. Check it out on Amazon right here.
Read Next – More Blood Pressure Veggie Juice Articles!
Celery Juice For High Blood Pressure
14 Drinks To Lower Blood Pressure (Proven By Science)
- The American Heart Association: How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure [↩]
- NutritionData: Carrots [↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Time to Consider Use of the Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio for Practical Sodium Reduction and Potassium Increase [↩]
- Harvard Health: Potassium Lowers Blood Pressure [↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Long-term vitamin C treatment increases vascular tetrahjydrobiopterin levels and nitric oxide synthase activity [↩]
- Oregon State University: High Blood Pressure [↩]
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science: High fiber diet associated with reduced CV risk in hypertension, type 2 diabetes patients [↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Drinking carrot juice increases total antioxidant status and decreases lipid per oxidation in adults [↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: The effect of carrot juice, B-carotene supplementation on lymphocyte DNA damage, erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes and plasma lipid profiles in Korean smoker [↩]