Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
1. Know Your Numbers Aim for a total blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Systolic blood pressure is the top blood pressure number, which measures the pressure in the arteries when your heart beats. Aim for systolic blood pressure less than 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). A systolic blood pressure higher than 120 mm Hg indicates your heart is working overtime to pump blood through your blood vessels, which exerts maximum pressure on your arteries.
Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom blood pressure number, which measures the pressure in the arteries when your heart is at rest between beats. Aim for diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg. A diastolic blood pressure reading above 80 mm Hg indicates your heart is working harder than necessary to fill your left-ventricular heart chamber with blood. Over time this can lead to congestive heart failure.
Prehypertension starts at 120/80 mm Hg and
hypertension starts at 140/90 mm Hg:
To gauge your blood pressure, stop by your physician’s office or local pharmacy. A health care provider will use three tests to ensure accuracy. If you have or are at risk for
hypertension, talk to your physician about a home blood pressure monitoring device.
Blood Pressure Fact: An increase of 20/10 mm
Hg, starting at 115/75 mm Hg, doubles the risk
of cardiovascular disease.
2. Choose Plant-Based Foods. Vegetarian diets are associated with low blood pressure. New research published in Jama Internal Medicine shows adults who follow a vegetarian diet have a blood pressure 7/5 mm Hg lower than adults who consume a diet including meat.Changing the way you eat to favor fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can
bring your blood pressure down and reduce need for antihypertensive medications. Based on clinical trials, people who make dietary changes can expect to see lower blood
pressure, an average drop of 5/2 mm Hg, in just six weeks Blood Pressure
Fact: When you avoid animal fats and added oils, your blood becomes less viscous—that is, it’s less “thick.” It becomes more like water and less like grease, and that
means it flows more easily through your arteries. Your heart no longer has to push as hard to keep your blood moving. Plant-based foods are naturally rich in potassium and low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol.
3. Reduce Salt Intake.
Adults should consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium each day.
Instead of adding salt to recipes, try experimenting with spices and herbs, such as
cinnamon, pepper, curry powder, and cilantro. On the go? Become savvy at reading nutrition labels. Packaged meals, snacks, and salt-added canned goods can easily supply a day’s worth of sodium in just one serving. In addition to wreaking havoc on your heart, a diet rich in sodium can take a toll on your kidneys and disrupt calcium balance, increasing the risk for osteoporosis.Here’s how to decipher sodium content in food labels:
Low Sodium: contains 140 mg or less sodium
per serving.
Very Low Sodium: contains 35 mg of less
sodium per serving.
Sodium Free: contains less than 5 mg of
sodium per serving.
Blood Pressure
Fact: Just like fatty foods, sodium’s blood-pressure-raising effect can strain your arteries, which makes your heart work harder to regulate blood flow in your body. Excess sodium consumption over time can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
4. Power Up With Potassium.
Aim for 4,700 mg of potassium each day.
Your kidneys use potassium and sodium to balance blood flow in your body. By opting for
foods low in sodium and rich in potassium, your blood pressure will naturally fall. Adults should aim for 4,700 mg of potassium each day. Especially good sources include:
Blood Pressure
Fact: Researchers from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young
Adults (Cardiac) study find study participants who consume the most plant foods reduce their risk of developing hypertension by 36 percent.
5. Maintain a Healthy Weight.
Maintain a trim waistline and BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. Excess weight can take a toll on your heart. The good news is losing even 10 pounds can lower blood pressure. People who maintain a healthyweight reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart problems, joint problems, and some forms of cancer.
Your body mass index (BMI) is a measure of your weight that is adjusted for your height and is used to assess health risk. You can use a variety of online calculators, including the simple tool at NutritionMD.org. A healthful BMI falls in the range of 18.5 and 24.9
After you assess your BMI, measure your waistline. A waist circumference greater than 40
inches for men and 35 inches for non pregnant women is linked to increased risk for high blood pressure. To measure your waist circumference, place a flexible measuring tape around your bare abdomen just above your hip bone. The tape should be snug but not tight. Exhale before measuring. Blood Pressure6
Fact: A healthful plant-based
diet causes easy weight loss, and losing excess weight can help lower blood pressure by 5 to 20 mm Hg.
6. Exercise.
Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
Exercise can help bring your weight and blood pressure down. All you need is a 30-minute brisk walk each day. Sixty minutes of aerobic exercise--swimming, biking, or kickboxing—
three times a week counts, too. Maintain a regular exercise program and expect to see
lower blood pressure in just one to three months.14,15 Blood Pressure
Fact: Becoming more active helps lower blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg.
7. Limit Alcohol Use.
Women should consume less than one drink per day (due to breast cancer risk),
men no more than two. Alcohol can cause a sudden rise in blood pressure. Women should consume less than one alcoholic beverage per day (daily alcohol use increases breast cancer risk) and men should limit themselves to no more than two drinks.An alcoholic beverage is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor. Blood Pressure
Fact: The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute finds modifying alcohol consumption can lower systolic blood pressure
by an average of 2 to 4 mm Hg.
8. Avoid Tobacco.
There are many good reasons to quit smoking and healthier arteries is one. Each cigarette immediately raises blood pressure and damages the arteries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds people who smoke have twice the risk for coronary
heart disease and stroke, compared to nonsmokers.Blood Pressure
Fact: Quit smoking for someone
you love. Secondhand smoke increases heart
disease risk by 25 to 30 percent
1. Know Your Numbers Aim for a total blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Systolic blood pressure is the top blood pressure number, which measures the pressure in the arteries when your heart beats. Aim for systolic blood pressure less than 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). A systolic blood pressure higher than 120 mm Hg indicates your heart is working overtime to pump blood through your blood vessels, which exerts maximum pressure on your arteries.
Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom blood pressure number, which measures the pressure in the arteries when your heart is at rest between beats. Aim for diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg. A diastolic blood pressure reading above 80 mm Hg indicates your heart is working harder than necessary to fill your left-ventricular heart chamber with blood. Over time this can lead to congestive heart failure.
Prehypertension starts at 120/80 mm Hg and
hypertension starts at 140/90 mm Hg:
 |
To gauge your blood pressure, stop by your physician’s office or local pharmacy. A health care provider will use three tests to ensure accuracy. If you have or are at risk for
hypertension, talk to your physician about a home blood pressure monitoring device.
Blood Pressure Fact: An increase of 20/10 mm
Hg, starting at 115/75 mm Hg, doubles the risk
of cardiovascular disease.
2. Choose Plant-Based Foods. Vegetarian diets are associated with low blood pressure. New research published in Jama Internal Medicine shows adults who follow a vegetarian diet have a blood pressure 7/5 mm Hg lower than adults who consume a diet including meat.Changing the way you eat to favor fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can
bring your blood pressure down and reduce need for antihypertensive medications. Based on clinical trials, people who make dietary changes can expect to see lower blood
pressure, an average drop of 5/2 mm Hg, in just six weeks Blood Pressure
Fact: When you avoid animal fats and added oils, your blood becomes less viscous—that is, it’s less “thick.” It becomes more like water and less like grease, and that
means it flows more easily through your arteries. Your heart no longer has to push as hard to keep your blood moving. Plant-based foods are naturally rich in potassium and low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol.
3. Reduce Salt Intake.
Adults should consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium each day.
Instead of adding salt to recipes, try experimenting with spices and herbs, such as
cinnamon, pepper, curry powder, and cilantro. On the go? Become savvy at reading nutrition labels. Packaged meals, snacks, and salt-added canned goods can easily supply a day’s worth of sodium in just one serving. In addition to wreaking havoc on your heart, a diet rich in sodium can take a toll on your kidneys and disrupt calcium balance, increasing the risk for osteoporosis.Here’s how to decipher sodium content in food labels:
Low Sodium: contains 140 mg or less sodium
per serving.
Very Low Sodium: contains 35 mg of less
sodium per serving.
Sodium Free: contains less than 5 mg of
sodium per serving.
Blood Pressure
Fact: Just like fatty foods, sodium’s blood-pressure-raising effect can strain your arteries, which makes your heart work harder to regulate blood flow in your body. Excess sodium consumption over time can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
4. Power Up With Potassium.
Aim for 4,700 mg of potassium each day.
Your kidneys use potassium and sodium to balance blood flow in your body. By opting for
foods low in sodium and rich in potassium, your blood pressure will naturally fall. Adults should aim for 4,700 mg of potassium each day. Especially good sources include:
Blood Pressure
Fact: Researchers from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young
Adults (Cardiac) study find study participants who consume the most plant foods reduce their risk of developing hypertension by 36 percent.
5. Maintain a Healthy Weight.
Maintain a trim waistline and BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. Excess weight can take a toll on your heart. The good news is losing even 10 pounds can lower blood pressure. People who maintain a healthyweight reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart problems, joint problems, and some forms of cancer.
Your body mass index (BMI) is a measure of your weight that is adjusted for your height and is used to assess health risk. You can use a variety of online calculators, including the simple tool at NutritionMD.org. A healthful BMI falls in the range of 18.5 and 24.9
After you assess your BMI, measure your waistline. A waist circumference greater than 40
inches for men and 35 inches for non pregnant women is linked to increased risk for high blood pressure. To measure your waist circumference, place a flexible measuring tape around your bare abdomen just above your hip bone. The tape should be snug but not tight. Exhale before measuring. Blood Pressure6
Fact: A healthful plant-based
diet causes easy weight loss, and losing excess weight can help lower blood pressure by 5 to 20 mm Hg.
6. Exercise.
Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
Exercise can help bring your weight and blood pressure down. All you need is a 30-minute brisk walk each day. Sixty minutes of aerobic exercise--swimming, biking, or kickboxing—
three times a week counts, too. Maintain a regular exercise program and expect to see
lower blood pressure in just one to three months.14,15 Blood Pressure
Fact: Becoming more active helps lower blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg.
7. Limit Alcohol Use.
Women should consume less than one drink per day (due to breast cancer risk),
men no more than two. Alcohol can cause a sudden rise in blood pressure. Women should consume less than one alcoholic beverage per day (daily alcohol use increases breast cancer risk) and men should limit themselves to no more than two drinks.An alcoholic beverage is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor. Blood Pressure
Fact: The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute finds modifying alcohol consumption can lower systolic blood pressure
by an average of 2 to 4 mm Hg.
8. Avoid Tobacco.
There are many good reasons to quit smoking and healthier arteries is one. Each cigarette immediately raises blood pressure and damages the arteries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds people who smoke have twice the risk for coronary
heart disease and stroke, compared to nonsmokers.Blood Pressure
Fact: Quit smoking for someone
you love. Secondhand smoke increases heart
disease risk by 25 to 30 percent
0 comments:
Post a Comment