Supplements for Blood Pressure and Vascular Health

Best supplements to support already-healthy blood pressure and vascular health

Keeping your healthy diastolic and systolic blood pressure levels in check is vital for optimal cardiovascular function. (No "pressure," right?) While a heart-healthy lifestyle—including prioritizing a healthy diet, regular exercise and sleep—is important for keeping your ticker ticking, targeted nutrition plays a role, too. In fact, with a holistic approach to heart health that includes the right supplements, you can enjoy a healthy quality of life and healthy blood pressure levels for years to come.

Luckily, there are several dietary supplement options that work in different ways to support healthy blood pressure levels. Nutrients like quercetin are great in combination with flavonoids to support daytime and nighttime changes in healthy blood pressure levels, while other extracts like French maritime pine bark (aka Pycnogenol) combined with gotu kola fight oxidative stress, promote vascular health and even encourage arterial plaque stability—all necessary for your heart health.

Is L-arginine good for maintaining healthy blood pressure?

Yes, in more ways than one. Let's explain: L-arginine is an amino acid—a key building block of protein that helps keep your body functioning properly. It also happens to be a precursor to nitric oxide. So what do L-arginine and nitric oxide have to do with maintaining healthy blood pressure?

Nitric oxide is an important vasodilator (a technical way of saying that it helps support open or dilated blood vessels), making it a necessary part of keeping your blood pumping and your arterial system functioning properly. Because nitric oxide supplements support your vascular system and promote healthy circulation, they're a great heart-healthy option for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.

You can find L-arginine as a standalone nitric oxide supplement or in combination formulas that include ingredients like chokeberry extract and silicon to boost nitric oxide production, and in turn, vascular health.

Is magnesium good for maintaining healthy blood pressure?

Yes! In fact, some would say magnesium is most famous for being a heart health hero. Of course, that’s not the only thing it’s known for—not by a long shot. We often hear about the “mighty mineral” magnesium because it’s good for pretty much every aspect of your health. (After all, it’s responsible for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body!)

That being said, even with those whole-body health benefits, magnesium really shines when it comes to its role as a heart health supplement. Your heart relies on magnesium to function at its best—and that includes promoting healthy blood pressure. Magnesium accomplishes this through two main functions: it promotes the synthesis of nitric oxide and relaxes the smooth muscles in blood vessels, ensuring your blood can pump optimally.

Because adequate magnesium can be hard to get through diet alone, supplementing is particularly important to your overall well-being.

Should you combine magnesium with potassium to support healthy blood pressure?

As we covered earlier, magnesium on its own is a heart health superstar because it plays a part in several functions that ultimately help promote vascular health and healthy blood pressure. But what happens when you combine magnesium with other minerals—potassium specifically?

Potassium is involved in several of the same biochemical reactions as magnesium and is sometimes referred to as the “sister mineral” to magnesium. Beneficial to heart health in several ways, potassium acts as a counterbalance to sodium—encouraging the body to filter out sodium in urine, necessary for healthy heart function. It also plays a role in supporting the healthy expansion of blood vessels, ensuring optimal blood flow in the heart.

So, it makes sense to try a formula that combines these two powerful minerals—a dual action combo helps you be proactive about your healthy blood pressure, and ultimately, your overall cardiovascular health. Now that’s something to get pumped about!