A variety of health issues can contribute to poor blood flow, one of the most frequent of which being diabetes....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Poor circulation can be caused by a variety of factors, including diabetes, obesity, smoking, and Raynaud’s illness.
Pain, muscle cramps, numbness, digestive difficulties, and coldness in the hands or feet can all be indicators of a lack of blood flow.
Athletes and active individuals may also benefit from increasing blood flow in order to improve their performance and recuperation during exercise.
Medications are often used to address circulatory problems, but certain foods can also help the blood flow.
1. Cayenne Pepper
Accordingly to Healthline. Capsaicin is the phytochemical that gives cayenne pepper its spiciness.
As blood pressure is lowered and the release of nitric oxide and other vasodilators or substances that dilate your blood vessels is stimulated, Capsaicin improves blood flow to tissues.
Vasodilators relax the small muscles in blood vessel walls, allowing blood to flow more freely through your veins and arteries.
Cayenne pepper consumption has been shown to promote circulation, strengthen blood vessels, and minimize plaque development in the arteries, according to research.
In addition, these hot peppers are often used in pain-relieving lotions because they help increase blood flow to the area.
2. Pomegranate
Sweet and juicy, pomegranates contain significant levels of polyphenol antioxidants and vasodilator nitrates.
Pomegranate juice, raw fruit, or supplementation may enhance blood flow and muscle oxygenation, which may be beneficial for athletes in particular.
Pomegranate extract, when taken 30 minutes before exercising, enhanced blood flow, blood vessel diameter, and exercise performance in a study of 19 active persons.
According to another study, elite weightlifters who drank 17 ounces (500 ml) of pomegranate juice daily before or after workouts experienced less discomfort, muscle damage, and inflammation.
3. Onions
Flavonoid antioxidants found in onions have been shown to improve cardiovascular health.
The increased blood flow from this vegetable helps to enlarge your arteries and veins, which in turn promotes circulation.
Onion extract significantly increased blood flow and arterial dilatation after meals in 23 males over a 30-day study.
Aside from boosting blood flow, onions offer anti-inflammatory characteristics that can reduce inflammation in the veins and arteries, which improves cardiovascular health.
4. Garlic
Heart and circulatory health are well-known benefits of garlic.
Garlic’s sulfur components, including allicin, have been shown in studies to enhance blood flow to tissues and reduce blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels.
On the contrary, a higher intake of garlic is linked to an increase in flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), a measure of blood flow efficiency.
Garlic powder tablets containing 1,200 mg of allicin twice daily for three months improved blood flow through the upper arm artery in 42 persons with coronary artery disease compared to a placebo group.