The Low-Carb Vegetable You Should Eat To Lower Blood Pressure And Reduce Inflammation At The Same Time

It's no secret that eating green vegetables is one of the best things for you, but sometimes you come across a green veggie that you're surprised to find out has benefits galore. Enter asparagus. Although not the most beloved of the green vegetables out there, as it has a bit of an acquired taste and does a number on the smell of one's urine, it turns out that if you're looking for a low-carb vegetable that's going to lower your blood pressure and reduce inflammation, then asparagus is the veggie for you.

But even if those things aren't a concern for you right now, when it comes to eating the right food, asparagus is also high in protein and fiber, as well as antioxidants. "A lot of people don't realize it's pretty rich in vitamin C, and it also has some iron," registered dietitian Grace Derocha tells TODAY, adding that both vitamin B and magnesium can be found in asparagus. "Most people don't get enough magnesium, so you love to see it."

If you're looking for a vegetable that's not only fantastic for you but also lowers blood pressure and reduces inflammation, then it's time to love asparagus. If you don't like it on its own, this versatile veggie can be tossed into a quiche, grilled with olive oil and garlic, or steamed along with other veggies to create a medley of tastes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost half (48.1%) of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and only a quarter of those people actually have their blood pressure under control. While for some people high blood pressure is a matter of genetics, for others it's about making healthy lifestyle choices — and eating the right food is a great place to start.

A 2024 study published in Clinical Hypertension found that when it comes to food and its effects on blood pressure, potassium and sodium play the biggest roles. If a food manages to be high in potassium while keeping sodium nice and low, then that's a food that someone with high blood pressure should be eating regularly. Not only does asparagus fall into that category with 5% of your daily potassium reference intake, but so do Swiss chard, beets, potatoes, dried apricots, trout, tomato paste, sweet potato, bananas (of course), and many other foods. 

The wonders of potassium on hypertension aside, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that a component in green asparagus prevented high blood pressure in rats by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity from occurring. According to the Mayo Clinic, ACE inhibitors prevent the narrowing of veins and arteries that could lead to increasing one's blood pressure. Granted, the study was conducted on rats as opposed to humans, but the researchers found the results hopeful. 

Inflammation can happen anywhere in or on the body, and the reason for the inflammation can vary just as much as whether the inflammation is a good or bad thing. If you sustain an injury or infection and inflammation occurs, that's good because it shows that the body's immune system is functioning properly. In other situations, inflammation can be the result of an immune system that has been negatively triggered, so it's responding to something that's not really there. 

"In these cases, instead of moving in, healing the problem, and then returning to normal, the inflammation persists over time," Hope Ricciotti, M.D., and Toni Golen, M.D. told Harvard Medical School. "It's thought that this chronic state of inflammation can lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and even cancer." Because of this, it's important to take steps to fight inflammation, and eating asparagus is one of them.

According to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, asparagus contains an anti-inflammatory component when it comes to skin conditions in mice, meaning it could also help humans. A study just two years before that, published in Food Chemistry, found that the antioxidant activity in both asparagus and broccoli (and their juices) can produce anti-inflammatory effects. While not everyone may need to consume foods with these properties, for those who do, making asparagus a regular part of your diet is something to seriously consider.