Biotin for Better Blood Pressure

With the long list of hypertension drugs available to treat this all-too-common disease, you might be surprised to hear that an everyday vitamin — one of the B vitamins, no less — could play a role in controlling high blood pressure, which is a growing health concern. Here’s what we know.

Blood Pressure Fundamentals

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition in which the force of blood pressure against blood vessel walls is persistently high over time. This can cause damage to those blood vessels and increase your risk for heart attack or stroke, reports the American Heart Association (AHA).

Nearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure, according to the AHA. High blood pressure is known as a silent killer because it has no symptoms at first. That’s why having your blood pressure checked regularly is so important.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers: the systolic reading (the first or upper number), which reflects the pressure during each heartbeat, and the diastolic reading (the second or lower number), which is the pressure between heartbeats, explains AHA. High blood pressure would be a systolic measurement of 130 or higher or a diastolic measurement of 80 or higher, whereas a normal blood pressure reading would be below 120/80 millimeters of mercury.