Against the Wall High: Blood Pressure

Continued from Yesterday

The kidneys are actually the key organ in the role of salt in blood pressure. The kidneys control salt levels, usually passing excess salt to the urine. When salt level is higher than the kidneys can handle, the salt ends up in the blood, which then draws more water; this increases blood volume, which is one way to increase blood pressure. Now couple this scenario with existing arterial narrowing due to CVD, and you get a double-whammy of hypertension dangers. Thus, kidney health is an important part of the blood pressure management equation.

The influence of salt, especially from processed foods and staples such as cheese, soup and bacon, has historically focused attention on the diet. Studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) resulted in the creation of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is promoted by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA). In the first trial, reported in 1997, 459 adults with blood pressure under 160/95 consumed a typical American diet low in fruits, vegetables and dairy, but high in fat for three weeks.1 They were then randomly assigned to either a control diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables or a combination diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, but low in saturated and total fat, for eight weeks. The combination diet helped lower blood pressure better than did the control diet; the results were more pronounced in the subgroup of hypertensive subjects. This research gave birth to the DASH diet focused on fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and whole grains instead of salt, high-fat dairy and red meat.

Then in 2001, results from a second trial showed salt reduction along with adherence to the DASH diet work together to lower blood pressure more than either approach alone.2 The trial featured 419 subjects—some hypertensive, some not—who were assigned to either a typical American diet or the DASH diet, and ate foods with high, intermediate or low sodium content for 30 consecutive days, in a random order. Blood pressure decreased along with the lowering of salt content, in both hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects, and across race and gender. The DASH diet also lowered blood pressure across the range of variables, but the effect was more pronounced at higher sodium intake; the best benefit to blood pressure was when DASH diet was combined with the lowest salt intake.

Continued Tomorrow

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/2011/04/against-the-wall-high-blood-pressure.aspx

http://www.depsyl.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/