Download Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure

A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
Introduction
Blood Pressure and Vegetarian Diets, a global
meta-analysis published Feb. 24, 2014, in JAMA
Internal Medicine, finds a nutrient-packed
vegetarian diet can lower blood pressure and
1
reduce the risk of heart disease.
Background
Eight Ways to Lower Blood
Pressure
1. Know Your Numbers.
Aim for a total blood pressure less than
120/80 mm Hg.
2. Choose Plant-Based Foods.
Vegetarian diets lower blood pressure
by 7/5 mm Hg.
High blood pressure (hypertension) affects 31
2
percent of American adults. Elevated blood
3
pressure is rising nearly 30 percent in teens,
and by 2025, hypertension will affect 1.56 billion
4
adults worldwide. This is a growing health
concern, since hypertension increases the risk
for heart attack and stroke, which are the first
5
and third leading causes of death in America.
3. Reduce Salt Intake.
Adults should consume no more than
1,500 mg of sodium each day.
Here are eight tips to naturally lower blood
pressure from Neal Barnard, M.D., president of
the nonprofit Physicians Committee, adjunct
professor of medicine at the George Washington
University School of Medicine and Health
Sciences, and co-author of the new Blood
Pressure and Vegetarian Diets meta-analysis
published in JAMA Internal Medicine:
5. Maintain a Healthy Weight.
Maintain a trim waistline. Keep BMI
between 18.5 and 24.9. A plant-based
diet will help you get there.
4. Power Up with Potassium.
Consume at least 4,700 mg of
potassium each day by consuming
plenty of fruits and vegetables.
6. Exercise.
Participate in at least 30 minutes of
moderate physical activity each day.
7. Limit Alcohol Intake.
Limit alcohol consumption. Women
should consume less than one drink per
day (due to breast cancer risk), men no
more than two.
8. Avoid Tobacco.
Smoking doubles your risk for heart
disease.
2
A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
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 leftventricular 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:
Classification
SBP
DBP
Normal
<120
and <80
Prehypertension
120-139
or 80-89
Stage 1
140-159
or 90-99
>160
or >100
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
6
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
1
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
1
six weeks.
Include more of the following foods in your diet:
Whole Grains
Pasta, Oatmeal, Millet, Barley,
Buckwheat Groats, Quinoa
Beans/legumes
Hypertension
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
3
Black-Eyed Peas, Kidney Beans, Pinto
Beans, Lentils, Navy Beans, Chickpeas,
Hypertension
Stage 2
Brown Rice, Whole-Wheat Bread or
Tofu
Vegetables
Fresh or Frozen Broccoli, Collard
Greens, Kale, Spinach, Carrots,
Potatoes, Tomatoes, Squash
Fruits
Bananas, Oranges, Apples, Pears,
Grapefruit, Strawberries, Mango,
Papaya, Guava, Blueberries
A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
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
7
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.
4
Excess sodium consumption over time can
8
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:
Tomatoes or
Tomato
Products
Raisins or
Figs
Green
Vegetables
Lentils and
Beans
Orange Fruits
and
Vegetables
Bananas
One Cup of
Tomato Paste
2,657 mg
potassium
1/4 Cup of
Raisins (a
small handful)
One Cup of
Bok Choy
One Cup of
Lentil Soup
One Cup of
Butternut
Squash
One Medium
Banana
1,021 mg
potassium
631 mg
potassium
590 mg
potassium
474 mg
potassium
422 mg
potassium
Blood Pressure Fact: Researchers from the
Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young
Adults (CARDIA) study find study participants
who consume the most plant foods reduce their
9
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
10
blood pressure. People who maintain a healthy
A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
weight reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart
problems, joint problems, and some forms of
11
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
12
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 nonpregnant
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 Pressure 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
14,15
months.
Blood Pressure Fact: Becoming more active
13
helps lower blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg.
5
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
16
use increases breast cancer risk), and men
should limit themselves to no more than two
17
drinks. An alcoholic beverage is 12 ounces of
beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80proof distilled liquor.
Blood Pressure Fact: The National Heart, Blood,
and Lung Institute finds modifying alcohol
consumption can lower systolic blood pressure
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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
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nonsmokers.
Blood Pressure Fact: Quit smoking for someone
you love. Secondhand smoke increases heart
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disease risk by 25 to 30 percent.
A Special Report
FEBRUARY 2014
Eight Ways to Naturally Lower Blood Pressure
References:
1.
Yokoyama Y, Nishimura K, Barnard ND, et al.
Vegetarian diets and blood pressure: a meta-analysis.
JAMA Intern Med. Published online February 24, 2014.
doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.14547.
2.
Egan BM, Zhao Y, Axon RN. US trends in prevalence,
awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension,
1988–2008. JAMA. 2010;303:2043-2050.
3.
Rosner B, Cook NR, Daniels S, Flakner B. Childhood
blood pressure trends and risk factors for high blood
pressure: the NHANES experience 1988-2008.
Hypertension. 2013;62:247-254.
4.
Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Whelton PK, He
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Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung
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high blood pressure.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloo
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Understand-Your-Risk-for-High-Blood-
6
Pressure_UCM_002052_Article.jsp. Accessed
February 12, 2014.
11. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Do
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http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm.
Accessed February 12, 2014.
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http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/Index.html.
Accessed Feb. 12, 2014.
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