Heart experts say one drink can cut blood pressure 'like medication'

Blood pressure, or hypertension, is often called the silent killer as it can go completely undetected until it's caused serious problems

High blood pressure is known as the 'silent' killer - and for good reason.

The condition, which can increase the risk of heart attack and strokes, can be virtually undetectable and usually has no symptoms.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is caused when the force of blood pushing against your veins and arteries is too high, which puts extra strain on your heart.

Experts advise reducing salt, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, easing stress and anxiety, making sure you get enough sleep, cutting down on alcohol and stopping smoking as ways to can reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure.

But as nearly one in six have currently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, which is around 14million people, the condition is a common one. As there are little to no symptoms it can often only been caught when it's already caused problems, which is why managing and treating it is so vital.

However, now a study by Queen Mary University of London has discovered drinking just one cup of a key drink could be key in keeping blood pressure under control and even lowering it.

The study looked at people drinking a 250ml of beetroot juice daily and by the end discovered a significant reduction in people with high blood pressure, back in a "normal range".

Looking at the study, the British Heart Foundation said: "This study, involving 64 volunteers, provides the first evidence of a long-lasting reduction in blood pressure by supplementing the diet with nitrates in patients with high blood pressure.

"The level of reduction was similar to that from some forms of blood pressure medication. No adverse side effects were observed in people taking the daily dose of nitrates, in the form of beetroot juice."

"Beetroot isn't the only vegetable high in nitrates, leafy green such as spinach, kale and lettuce as well as carrots, celery, and leeks can all be a great way of including the compound in your diet.

“For those looking to work dietary nitrate into their daily diets, the trick is not to boil the vegetables – as dietary nitrate is water soluble – but steaming, roasting or drinking in a juice all has a positive effect.”

The idea of using a natural product instead of medication may be appealing to many, but both the charity and the researcher stressed that more research with a much larger sample size needs to be done before it is used as an official solution.