High blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension, is an often silent medical condition that is thought to affect around a third of all adults in the UK. It means that the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body.
Over time this puts extra strain on the heart as well as other organs and the blood vessels and can cause damage.
It is also a factor in many serious health conditions and illnesses, including heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, heart failure and heart attacks.
One of the main causes of high blood pressure is diet, with foods high in salt particularly to blame.
However, in the same way that salt can raise your blood pressure, other foods can luckily help lower it – including one tasty dried fruit.
The reason why salt increases blood pressure is because the sodium causes the body to hold on to water.
This is explained by the British Heart Foundation, which says: “If we eat too much sodium, water is pulled back into our bloodstream.
“The more water in our blood vessels, the higher our blood pressure gets.
Cutting down on the amount of salt you consume is one way to help lower your blood pressure, but there is also a way to minimise the effects of salt on the body.
Potassium is a mineral found in certain foods that can alleviate some of the problems caused by excessive sodium intake – therefore eating foods high in potassium can help.
The American Heart Association (AHA) says: “Foods that are rich in potassium are important in managing high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, because potassium lessens the effects of sodium.
“The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine.
“Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps further lower blood pressure.”
Bananas are often thought of as a go-to source of potassium. For every 100 grams of banana you get 330mg of potassium.
However, there is another type of fruit that contains even more potassium.
Dried apricots contain around 1,162mg (or 1.1g) per 100g, making them far richer in potassium than bananas.
Holland and Barrett comments: “Since dried apricots contain potassium, they may be able to reduce blood pressure levels.
“Studies have shown that potassium could reduce high blood pressure in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure).”
Dried apricots have also been linked to improved heart health, eye health, immune system and a lowered risk for diabetes.