Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?

Date Updated: 06/02/2021

Answer Section

It might. Eating more whole-grain foods on a regular basis might help reduce your chance of developing high blood pressure (hypertension).

Whole grains are grains that include the entire grain kernel — they haven't had their bran and germ removed by refining. Whole-grain foods are a rich source of healthy nutrients, including fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and selenium.

Eating more whole-grain foods offers many health benefits, which may include:

Helping you manage your weight, since whole-grain foods can make you feel full longer
Increasing your potassium level, which is linked to lower blood pressure
Decreasing your risk of insulin resistance
Reducing damage to your blood vessels

These heart-healthy benefits can work together to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, eating more whole-grain foods might help lower your blood pressure.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both recommend including whole grains as part of a healthy diet.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should eat about 3 ounces of whole grains a day, or the equivalent of three slices of whole-wheat bread.

One ounce of grains approximately equals:

1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
1 medium slice of bread, tortilla, or flatbread
1 cup of flaked whole-grain cereal

The guidelines also recommend that at least half of all grains you eat are 100% whole grain.

Examples of whole-grain foods include:

Barley (not pearled)
Dark rye bread
Millet
Oats
Popcorn
Quinoa
Whole-grain cereals and crackers
Whole-grain cornmeal
Whole-wheat bread
Wild rice