Overview
- Dr Sethi, a Harvard- and Stanford-trained gastroenterologist, posted a TikTok on Thursday listing bananas, dark chocolate, beetroot, pomegranate and ginger as options that may help reduce high blood pressure.
- Media outlets in the UK reported the video the same day, presenting it as research-linked advice rather than new clinical guidance.
- A British Heart Foundation–supported trial found people with hypertension who drank 250ml of beetroot juice daily saw readings return to the normal range by the end of the study.
- Mechanisms cited include potassium in bananas helping the kidneys remove excess sodium, plant nitrates in beetroot becoming nitric oxide to relax vessels, flavanols and magnesium in dark chocolate supporting vessel relaxation, pomegranate affecting ACE levels, and ginger acting like a calcium channel blocker.
- High blood pressure affects just over 14 million UK adults and raises the risk of heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia, and the NHS advises people to see a GP or get a pharmacy check rather than rely only on social media tips.