A Pacific fish could provide natural medicines that help combat high blood pressure and hereditary kidney disease, say researchers from the University of Leicester.

The scientists found that while fish and humans are different, genetically speaking, in the case of regulating blood pressure, they share similar coding.

They studied the goby fish, and found a protein that they say could help regulate blood pressure, and one that is found in the same form in humans.

"This indicates that the protein might be of critical importance in regulation of blood pressure and understanding the genetic background of high blood pressure," says lead researcher Dr Radoslaw Debiec.

He is hopeful that the new discovery could help in the development of medications for chronic hypertension, but for those looking for help lowering blood pressure now, potassium supplements could also help.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension found that increased potassium use and decreasing the amount of dietary sodium could reduce the number of American adults with high blood pressure by up to 10 percent.