A health expert has issued a simple two-word instruction that could help lower your blood pressure. Doctor Amir Khan, who is known for his appearances on ITV, shared the advice as part of five tips for “naturally” bringing it down.

It is thought around one in three people in the UK are currently living with high blood pressure. Also known as hypertension, it means that the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body.

As a result it is a factor in many serious health conditions and illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, strokes, heart failure and heart attacks. It can also be dangerous due to the fact it often doesn’t present with symptoms, earning it the nickname of a “silent killer”.

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However, there are steps you can take to reduce your blood pressure. In a video uploaded to social media platform Instagram, Dr Khan recommended sticking to a simple two-word phrase.

These words were: “get moving”. He explained: “Regular movement keeps your blood vessels flexible as they have to expand and contract and encourage blood flow around your body. Find something you enjoy doing and do it regularly.”

This advice is backed by the NHS, which says “healthy lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure”. It specifies: “Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.”

In his video, Dr Khan shared four other methods for bringing down blood pressure.

He said: “Now if you don't have high blood pressure and there's still a debate about how much salt will affect you, but if you do have high blood pressure, listen up. Adults should only have around six grams or one level teaspoon of salt per day and most of that is already hidden in the food that we eat.

“So try not to add salt to your food instead season it with things like pepper herbs and spices and if you buy tinned food, go for it in water rather than salty brine. Nuts - always go for unsalted nuts.”

Eat more potassium-rich foods

Dr Khan continued: “Eat more potassium-rich foods, potassium helps lower blood pressure by helping the kidneys, get rid of that excess sodium or salt in your blood.

“Food that naturally contains potassium includes bananas, tomatoes, carrots, kiwi, nectarines and spinach. If you have kidney disease, however just be really careful with potassium.”

Stop smoking and limit alcohol

“Use smoking can affect the health of your blood vessels, which causes high blood pressure,” he said. “And alcohol is really strongly linked to high blood pressure too.”

Achieve a healthy weight

He added: “I know this is hard and it's really complex but additional weight especially around your middle area has been linked to high blood pressure. These additional fat cells can release hormones, that increase, blood pressure.

“So follow the steps I outlined already to achieve good health, alongside a healthy weight.”

He also issued a warning: “Now, if you're a medication for your blood pressure, it's important that you take it as prescribed but here are some additional things that you can do to help keep your blood pressure at healthy levels.”

If you are concerned about your blood pressure, you should speak to your GP.