High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common affliction that affects around 30% of the adult population around the globe. It can be quite serious, especially when not addressed, and may lead to a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Because of that, it’s important to consume foods that have blood pressure-lowering properties to avoid this issue. Luckily, there are many foods you can include in your diet to lower your blood pressure, and this includes a lot of fish.
Let’s take a look at tuna, for example. Is it good for high blood pressure?
Is Tuna Good For High Blood Pressure?
- Fresh tuna cooked using dry heat is an excellent type of fish for people with high blood pressure. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of stroke.
- Eating fresh tuna is beneficial for hypertension.
- On the other hand, canned tuna might not be as good for high blood pressure since it tends to contain a lot of sodium.
So, be sure to always check the nutritional label and choose canned tuna that’s as low in sodium as possible.
What type of tuna is good for high blood pressure?
Whether eating tuna helps with high blood pressure depends on the kind you choose and how you prepare it. For example, fresh tuna, such as yellowfin, skipjack, or bluefin, that has been cooked using dry heat is great for high blood pressure.
This is because this type of tuna is low in calories and sodium but contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower your blood pressure and keep it in check.
Tuna is also a good source of potassium – a mineral that lowers your blood pressure and offsets the negative effects of sodium on your health.
So, eating tuna is great for people with hypertension.
Can eating tuna lower your risk of stroke?
Research shows that since fatty fish like tuna lower your blood pressure, they can also reduce your risk of strokes and heart attacks.
This is because this type of fish contains an important type of polyunsaturated fats – omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that consuming a lot of foods rich in this type of healthy fat lowers your risk of high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, cognitive disorders, and heart diseases.
As a result, it might be a good idea to include tuna in your diet if you struggle with hypertension.
How does eating tuna lower your blood pressure?
Tuna is one the best types of fatty fish for lowering your blood pressure and eating it lowers it in several ways.
Firstly, tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. It provides you with about 1414 mg of these healthy fats in a three-ounce (85 grams) serving of bluefin tuna. Because of this amount, bluefin tuna is the richest in omega-3 fats among all types of tuna.
Omega-3 fatty acids have long been studied when it comes to their effects on blood pressure levels. Studies show that getting enough of these healthy fats can significantly lower your blood pressure in amount three to four weeks.
Because of that, eating fatty fish like tuna is beneficial for preventing and treating hypertension.
In addition, tuna is a pretty good source of potassium. A three-ounce (85 grams) serving of cooked bluefin tuna contains about 275 mg of this important mineral. The same serving of cooked skipjack contains even more – 444 mg of potassium.
Potassium is a mineral that works as an electrolyte, helping offset the negative effects of sodium on your blood pressure. As a result, it’s beneficial for those with hypertension.
So, including tuna in a diet aimed at lowering your blood pressure is a great idea.
Can tuna raise your blood pressure?
Since tuna packs an excellent dose of potassium and omega-3 fatty acids, eating this type of fish in moderation is extremely unlikely to raise your blood pressure levels.
Still, it’s important to remember that most health benefits of eating tuna come from eating fresh tuna and not the canned variety, which tends to be high in sodium.
In fact, eating too much-canned tuna can contribute to a rise in your blood pressure levels.
How should you eat tuna to lower your blood pressure?
The best way to prepare most types of fish is to cook it using dry heat. This cooking method is very gentle and doesn’t add any unnecessary calories. It also reduces the amount of sodium in the finished meal.
Another way to prepare tuna can be to steam or grill it. These cooking methods are very efficient at preserving omega-3 fatty acids while still creating a flavorful cooked fish.
In addition, be sure to avoid over-seasoning your fish. Most prepared seasoning and spice mixes contain a lot of additives and salt, which isn’t good for your blood pressure levels.
So, be sure to use low-sodium alternatives, such as fresh herbs.
With that being said, it’s also best to avoid canned tuna if you suffer from high blood pressure. This is because canned tuna tends to contain a lot of sodium – even as much as 13% of your daily need in a three-ounce (85 grams) serving.
Getting too much sodium raises your blood pressure and increases your risk of strokes and heart attacks. So, it’s best to either avoid canned tuna completely or limit your consumption.
If you absolutely can’t live without canned tuna, try choosing low-sodium alternatives or those without added salt. These can contain just about 3% of your daily need for sodium in a single serving, which isn’t a lot.
That’s why it’s very important to check the nutritional label before purchasing any food.
Conclusion
Most types of fatty fish contain plenty of nutrients that contribute to lowering your blood pressure levels. For instance, they’re a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and potassium, both of which lower your blood pressure.
In addition to that, the same nutrients can also reduce your risk of serious health conditions, such as heart disease and strokes. So, eating tuna can bring you plenty of benefits.
Sources: Nutrition Data, National Library of Medicine, PMC, and Research Gate