Diet against high blood pressure

Types of food that can lower blood pressure: celery, garlic, fatty (blue) fish, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, foods rich in calcium, foods rich in potassium. Types of food that can raise blood pressure: foods high in sodium, alcohol

Your blood pressure is a basic indicator of heart health, and maintaining it at a healthy (normal) level – no higher than 140/90 according to American standards – certainly helps protect against heart attacks and strokes. You can, of course, take prescription medications, but you can also use medicinal substances in foods that have surprising efficacy in lowering blood pressure. Numerous studies show that food is full of substances that raise and lower blood pressure. Choosing a diet to lower high blood pressure is increasingly the first choice for virtually all experts, either as an alternative or in addition to prescription medications. First, try the diet. The list of foods that can help lower blood pressure is growing longer and attracting more attention and interest from doctors who continually deal with this issue.

Try Celery, an Old Remedy

William J. Elliott, a pharmacologist at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, says that celery has been used in Asian cultures as a folk remedy for lowering blood pressure since 200 B.C. He recently isolated the medicinal substance from celery that lowers blood pressure. Dr. Elliott became interested in this area when a medical student, Quang T. Le, mentioned that a doctor using traditional Asian medicine successfully treated his father’s high blood pressure with celery. After Minh Le, 62 years old, ate two stalks of celery daily for a week, his blood pressure dropped from a high 158/96 to a normal 118/82 mmHg.

Dr. Elliott attempted to “scientifically” discover what chemical substance in celery could lower blood pressure. He isolated the compound and gave it to rats with normal blood pressure – and achieved results. After the animals received celery extract for several weeks, their systolic (top number) blood pressure dropped by an average of 12 to 14 percent. The dose given corresponded to the amount of four stalks of celery per day. Their blood cholesterol levels also dropped by seven units – about 14 percent. The chemical substance that lowers blood pressure is called 3-n-butyl phthalide, which gives celery its aroma.

Dr. Elliott says that celery might be unique because “the active compound that lowers blood pressure is found in fairly high concentrations in celery, which is not the case with other vegetables.” Dr. Elliott believes that celery lowers blood pressure by reducing the amount of stress hormones that constrict blood vessels. He believes celery may be most effective for those whose high blood pressure is related to psychological stress, which could account for about half of all Americans.

NOTE: Although celery contains more sodium compared to other vegetables, one average-sized stalk contains barely 35 mg of sodium. Therefore, a dose of 2 stalks to lower blood pressure would increase your sodium intake by only 70 mg daily, which is negligible in an entire diet.

Legendary Powers of Garlic

Eat more garlic. It is another legendary folk remedy for high blood pressure, and recent research confirms its effectiveness. Garlic, which has been used to lower blood pressure for a long time in China, and is now widely used in Germany, can have a pronounced effect. In a recent German double-blind study of Kwaia, a widely used garlic preparation, doses equivalent to consuming several cloves of garlic daily led to a reduction in diastolic blood pressure in patients with moderately high blood pressure.

After three months, the average blood pressure in the group that consumed garlic dropped from 171/102 mm Hg to 152/89 mmHg, while the blood pressure in the placebo group remained the same. Interestingly, the effect of garlic increased throughout the study, indicating that daily garlic intake has a cumulative effect.

Garlic likely lowers blood pressure at least partially by relaxing the smooth muscles of blood vessels, allowing them to widen. This happens in animals given garlic juice. Additionally, according to researchers at George Washington University, both garlic and onions contain significant amounts of adenosine, a compound that relaxes smooth muscles. This means that eating onions should also help lower blood pressure. Furthermore, onions contain small amounts of prostaglandins A1 and E, substances that lower blood pressure.

NOTE: Both raw and cooked garlic and onions can benefit your blood pressure, although raw garlic is considered to have a stronger effect.

Oh, What I Would Give for a Can of Mackerel

Eat fatty (blue) fish. “My own blood pressure dropped from 140/90 mmHg to 100/70 mmHg after I started eating a small can of mackerel fillets every day,” says researcher Dr. Peter Singer from Berlin, Germany. It is believed that the main medicinal substance in fish is omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood pressure. Several studies on fish oil have found that it helps lower blood pressure. For example, Dr. Singer reported at the International Conference on Fish Oils held in Washington, D.C. in 1990 that small amounts of fish oil were as effective at lowering blood pressure as the beta-blocker Inderal, a drug commonly prescribed for high blood pressure. He also found that Inderal and fish oil together were much more effective at lowering blood pressure than each alone. Therefore, if consuming fish alone does not achieve the desired effect, it can still enhance the effectiveness of medication, allowing for a lower dose.

How much fish is needed to lower blood pressure? Studies at the University of Cincinnati showed that diastolic blood pressure dropped by 4.4 mmHg and systolic by 6.5 mmHg in participants with mildly elevated blood pressure who consumed 2,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids daily for three months. This amount is found in 220g of fresh Atlantic mackerel, 240g of canned smoked salmon, or 420g of canned sardines. For some people, the drop in pressure was significant enough that medication was no longer needed.
Another impressive Danish study suggests that to control your blood pressure, you should eat fish at least three times a week. Researchers found that adding fish oil to the diet of those who ate fish three times a week or more did not further lower blood pressure. However, fish oil doses lowered blood pressure in those who did not eat that much fish. Therefore, it seems that eating fish three times a week supplies most people with enough omega-3 fatty acids to control blood pressure, indicating that high blood pressure is partly due to a “fish deficiency.” Other seafood components, such as potassium and selenium, may also contribute to lowering blood pressure.

REMEMBER: Eat fish at least three times a week, preferably fatty (blue) fish – salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and tuna.

More Fruits and Vegetables

It is a medical fact that there is something magical in a diet rich in fruits and vegetables that helps control high blood pressure. Research shows that switching to a vegetarian diet typically leads to a reduction in blood pressure. Why are fruits and vegetables so powerful? Dr. Frank M. Sacks, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, says there are two obvious possibilities: something in plant-based foods lowers blood pressure, or something in meat raises it.

At first, Dr. Sacks thought that meat caused an increase in blood pressure, but he dismissed this theory after conducting tests on vegetarians, asking them to introduce meat into their diet. In one group of vegetarians who ate 480g of lean veal daily for a month, systolic pressure slightly increased, while diastolic pressure remained unchanged. Similarly, a diet including a large amount of eggs over three weeks did not raise blood pressure. Nor could he elevate blood pressure by adding different types of fats. Dr. Sacks concluded that controlling total fats or saturated animal fats does not affect blood pressure.

On the other hand, he is convinced that agents in fruits and vegetables have mysterious powers to lower blood pressure. One of the medicinal substances that lower blood pressure may be fiber, especially from fruits. A new Harvard study, which included almost 31,000 middle-aged and older men, showed that those who ate very little fruit had a 46 percent higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure over the next four years compared to those who consumed an amount of fiber equivalent to eating five apples a day. For unknown reasons, fiber in fruits had the strongest effect on lowering pressure, even stronger than fiber from vegetables and grains.

Another possibility is that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables indirectly increase the amount of hormone-like substances, prostacyclins, which dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Another explanation could be vitamin C.

When Vitamin C Rises, Blood Pressure Falls

Eat foods containing vitamin C. A deficiency in vitamin C can raise blood pressure. In fact, hypertension specialist Dr. Christopher J. Bulpitt from Hammersmith Hospital in London claims that vitamin C in fruits and vegetables is a powerful preventive against high blood pressure. He points to a series of studies showing that mortality from high blood pressure and stroke is highest among people who consume the least vitamin C. Researcher Paul F. Jacques from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University agrees that a low intake of vitamin C-rich foods predicts high blood pressure. He found that older people who ate the amount of vitamin C found in just one orange daily had twice the likelihood of developing high blood pressure compared to those who consumed four times that amount of vitamin C. Those who did not consume enough vitamin C had systolic blood pressure 11 mmHg higher, and diastolic pressure was higher as well. In a subsequent study, Dr. Jacques concluded that low blood levels of vitamin C raised systolic blood pressure by about 16 percent and diastolic by 9 percent.
“When not enough vitamin C is consumed, something happens that raises blood pressure,” says Dr. Jacques. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, ensure you eat at least the amount of vitamin C found in one orange every day. There is also evidence that consuming large amounts of vitamin C, beyond what is needed to correct a deficiency, can further lower blood pressure. Dr. Jacques also emphasizes that other components of fruits and vegetables, besides vitamin C, help maintain blood pressure within satisfactory limits.

Potassium Lowers Blood Pressure

Do not overlook potassium, which is concentrated in fruits, vegetables, and seafood. It is also a very effective remedy for lowering blood pressure. There is no doubt that adding potassium to the diet can lower blood pressure, while removing it can raise it. As evidence, in studies conducted at the Temple University School of Medicine, ten men with normal blood pressure consumed a potassium-sufficient diet for nine days, followed by a potassium-deficient diet for another nine days. During the potassium-deficient period, the men’s average arterial pressure (both systolic and diastolic) rose by 4.1 units – from 90.9 to 95 mmHg. Their blood pressure increased even more when their diet was high in sodium. Therefore, lead author Dr. G. Gopal Krishna claims that potassium helps control a sodium-rich diet. His theory is that too little potassium leads to sodium retention, which over time can increase blood pressure.
Consuming sufficient potassium can also reduce the required dose of medication. A study from the University of Naples in Italy shows that after a year on a potassium-rich diet, 81% of the patient group involved in the study needed only half the initial dose of their blood pressure medication. Moreover, 38% of patients in this group were able to stop taking medication altogether. They consumed three to six servings of potassium-rich foods daily, increasing their average potassium intake by 60%.

Eat Calcium-Rich Foods

Calcium-rich foods may be a secret weapon against high blood pressure. Some experts claim that high blood pressure is more a result of calcium deficiency than excess sodium, and that adequate calcium intake can actually counteract the blood pressure-raising effect of sodium in some people. Dr. David A. McCarron of Oregon Health Sciences University says that some people simply need more calcium than others to maintain normal blood pressure and that these people are often “salt-sensitive,” meaning their blood pressure rises when they consume too much sodium. One theory is that when such individuals consume too much sodium, they retain water, and calcium acts as a natural diuretic to help the kidneys excrete sodium and water, thus lowering blood pressure. Another, much more complex explanation is that calcium works by preventing the release of parathyroid hormone, which can raise blood pressure.
There is no doubt that calcium lowers blood pressure in some people. A study by the University of Texas Medical Center showed that consuming 800 mg of calcium daily lowered mildly elevated blood pressure by a dramatic 20 to 30 units in 20% of participants. Most participants showed only slight reductions, while oddly, about 20% experienced an increase in blood pressure.
Another study found that people under the age of 40 can reduce their likelihood of developing high blood pressure by consuming enough calcium. In fact, the likelihood of raising blood pressure decreased by an average of 20% for every 1,000 mg of calcium consumed daily by people who drank alcohol in moderation (no more than one drink per day) and who were not overweight. The risk decreased by 40% for those who drank less alcohol. Study author James H. Dwyer of the University of Southern California Medical School in Los Angeles said that alcohol works against the calcium that lowers blood pressure.

NOTE: Milk and dairy products are, of course, rich in calcium, and there is some evidence that consuming milk helps lower blood pressure. However, since milk can cause digestive issues and allergies in many people, do not forget that many other foods are rich in calcium – such as green leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, collard greens, turnip greens) as well as canned sardines and salmon with bones.

Try Olive Oil

Introducing a certain amount of olive oil into your diet can help lower blood pressure. A study conducted by researchers at Stanford Medical School a few years ago involving seventy-six middle-aged men with high blood pressure concluded that the amount of monounsaturated fat contained in three tablespoons of olive oil taken daily can lower systolic pressure by about 9 mmHg and diastolic pressure by about 6 mmHg. More significantly, a study at the University of Kentucky found that just two-thirds of a tablespoon of olive oil daily lowered blood pressure in men – systolic by 5 mmHg and diastolic by 4 mmHg. A new Danish study showed that consuming large amounts of olive oil led to a small reduction in blood pressure, even in those with normal pressure.
Furthermore, a very extensive analysis of the diet of about 5,000 Italians observed that those who consume olive oil had blood pressure lower by three to 4 mmHg, especially in men. However, Italians who ate a lot of butter had higher blood pressure.

To Salt or Not to Salt?

Most people think that the main remedy for high blood pressure is reducing salt intake. This may or may not be effective, depending on your individual biological constitution. Scientists have been debating the impact of salt on high blood pressure for years, and these debates continue. A new Harvard report shows that it is unlikely that salt is the main CAUSE of high blood pressure. However, Dr. William Castelli, director of the renowned Framingham Heart Study, observes that in several regions of the world where salt intake is low, high blood pressure is rare and does not increase with age as it does among Americans. Also, if you have high blood pressure, limiting salt can help control it, especially if you fall into the one-third to one-half of people who are particularly sensitive to blood pressure increases caused by sodium. Most experts believe that such “salt-sensitive” individuals benefit most from sodium restriction. But usually, the only way to find out if you belong to this group is to try restricting sodium intake. There is even evidence that limiting sodium can lower normal blood pressure.

What improvement can you expect? Dr. Malcolm Law from the University of London estimates that eliminating a small teaspoon of salt daily from your diet can lower systolic pressure by 7 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 3.5 mmHg on average if you have high blood pressure.
Ross D. Feldman from the University of Western Ontario believes that limiting sodium intake can also rejuvenate blood vessels, which can help lower blood pressure. He and his colleagues observed that as blood vessels age, they lose some ability to dilate, which can contribute to the development of high blood pressure. Sodium can worsen this condition. Dr. Feldman’s group found that reducing salt intake helped restore the normal functioning of aging blood vessels. They showed that older people who were on a high-salt diet for four days had blood vessels that dilated half as much as those of young volunteers. However, when they were on a low-salt diet, the older group’s blood vessels dilated as much as those of young participants. Dr. Feldman says this suggests that a low-salt diet can prevent the loss of vascular function that leads to increased blood pressure.

NOTE: One of the good ways to reduce sodium intake is to limit the consumption of processed foods, which contain about 75 percent of the sodium in our diet.

Sodium Surprise

Limiting sodium intake may not be effective for some people. According to Dr. Bernard Lamport from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, reducing sodium intake has the opposite effect – raising blood pressure. After reviewing recent studies, he reported that in about 20 to 25 percent of those with high blood pressure who moderately restricted sodium intake as many doctors recommend, there was a significant drop in blood pressure. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in blood pressure in about 15 percent of such patients. “For such people, salt restriction is dangerous,” he insists.
As a test, Dr. Lamport recommends that people with high blood pressure reduce their sodium intake for a few months under a doctor’s supervision. If blood pressure decreases, great, continue that way. If it rises, stop. It is important, he emphasizes, that not everyone can rely on sodium restriction as a universal remedy for high blood pressure.
The National Institutes of Health recommend that everyone should not consume more than six grams of sodium per day – which is equivalent to three small teaspoons of salt.

REMEMBER: Your individual biological reactions determine whether limiting salt controls your blood pressure. Even if you do not have high blood pressure, it is wise to be cautious with salt because sodium can damage blood vessels in the brain and lead to strokes, not just by raising blood pressure, says Dr. Louis Tobian, Jr., head of the Hypertension Department at the University of Minnesota. He also warns that if you have kidney and heart problems along with high blood pressure, you must reduce your salt intake.

Beware of Alcohol

There is no doubt, as numerous and consistent studies show, that alcohol can raise blood pressure. A review of works proving this from 1992 by doctors at Royal Perth Hospital in Australia concluded that blood pressure rises in men and women of all age and ethnic groups in response to various alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, they found that the more alcohol you drink, the higher the expected rise in blood pressure. Research suggests that each drink consumed during the day raises systolic blood pressure by 1 mmHg, making alcohol a greater threat to blood pressure than sodium, according to Australian experts.
In general, they report that consuming three or more drinks a day doubles the number of men and women with high blood pressure above 160/95 mmHg.

“Three or more alcoholic drinks a day are the most common cause of reversible or treatable hypertension (high blood pressure).” – N. M. Kaplan, University of Texas Medical Center, Dallas.

A large Harvard study of nurses recently found that a few beers, two glasses of wine, or a shot of spirits a day have no effect on blood pressure. However, larger amounts of alcohol led to a progressive increase in blood pressure. Compared to non-drinkers, women and men who drank two to three drinks daily had a 40 percent higher likelihood of elevated blood pressure. The risk of elevated blood pressure was 90 percent higher in women who drank more than three alcoholic drinks daily.
Usually, reducing alcohol consumption leads to a drop in blood pressure. A study by Kaiser Permanente Hospital shows that alcohol-related high blood pressure returned to normal a few days after stopping all types of alcoholic drinks. Some experts say that if you consume a lot of alcohol, giving it up can lower your blood pressure by up to 25 mmHg. Some reports show that consuming large amounts of alcohol and binge drinking – more than six drinks a day – can raise blood pressure by nearly 50 percent!

REMEMBER: How much alcohol can you safely drink without raising your blood pressure? According to the National Institutes of Health, no more than two drinks a day. You should also be aware that alcohol consumption can negate the beneficial effects of a low-sodium diet and blood pressure medications.

Recipe for a Blood Pressure-Lowering Diet

The first thing you can do is eat more fruits and vegetables, which are rich in known and unknown substances that lower blood pressure, including vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. Vegetarians have impressively low rates of high blood pressure.
Eat especially a lot of garlic and celery.

• Fish is another must for those concerned about their blood pressure. Its oil seems crucial for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Eat fatty (blue) fish, such as mackerel, sardines, salmon, or herring, three times a week.
• When cooking, use little salt. Never add extra salt to a dish. Most of all, be cautious with processed foods, which are often high in sodium. One study found that about 70 percent of sodium in a typical diet comes from such processed foods.
• Limit alcohol intake to one or two drinks a day. Also, avoid binge drinking, which can significantly raise your blood pressure.
• If you are overweight, lose weight – it is a sure way to lower blood pressure.

A Few Concerns About Coffee

It seems that caffeine is not the main culprit for chronically high blood pressure. Caffeine can temporarily raise blood pressure in those who consume it occasionally, even in regular drinkers, especially under psychological stress. However, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Science Center emphasize that, overall, caffeine does not have a lasting effect on blood pressure nor shortens the life of those with high blood pressure. In a study of 10,064 Americans diagnosed with high blood pressure, the Texas team found that patients who drank more tea or coffee – Turkish, instant, or decaffeinated – were not more likely to die from heart or other diseases.
However, if you are under psychological pressure, caffeine will more easily lead to an increase in blood pressure. Dr. Joel Dimsdale of the University of California, San Diego, asked twelve healthy coffee drinkers to solve mathematical tasks after drinking either Turkish coffee or decaffeinated coffee. In all cases, there was a greater increase in blood pressure (on average, systolic increased by 12 mmHg, and diastolic by 9 mmHg) during stressful tasks after consuming caffeine.
Additionally, according to Dr. Michael F. Wilson, a professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, the combination of stress and caffeine can be more pronounced in those with high blood pressure or genetically predisposed to it. It has been proven that men in the high blood pressure risk group were more prone to blood pressure spikes when exposed to stress tests after consuming caffeine equivalent to two to three cups of coffee. Dr. Wilson says that in such people, being under stress leads to an excessive adrenocortical response to caffeine, raising blood pressure.

REMEMBER: Most people with high blood pressure do not have to give up coffee. It usually does not raise blood pressure to “dangerous heights” in healthy people, nor significantly worsen it in those with high blood pressure. These are the conclusions of a special report on high blood pressure in the Harvard Health Letter. On the other hand, experts say that if you are usually under stress, adding caffeine could be harmful by helping to raise blood pressure.

The text is taken from Jean Carper’s book, Food: Your Miracle Medicine

In addition to the above, for people who suffer from high blood pressure problems, I also recommend bioenergy treatments, which can ease and completely eliminate the symptoms and the disorder itself.

Franjo Lenac