Lower blood pressure naturally in 3 months by taking 70 ml of this vegetable juice a day.
Two simple activities that can lower your blood pressure.
Two simple activities that can lower your blood pressure.
Half-an-hour of brisk walking in the morning can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and keep you healthy, research finds.
Morning exercise at a moderate-intensity level such as 30 minutes brisk walking or walking on the treadmill can lower blood pressure for eight hours of the day.
By adding frequent breaks from sitting during the day, you will increase the effect of morning exercise on lowering blood pressure, the study found.
Older adults participated in this study, who were overweight or obese.
Average blood pressure — especially systolic blood pressure — was reduced in participants who did half-an-hour’s treadmill walking at moderate-intensity in the morning.
The effect lasted for a period of 8 hours afterwards.
Systolic blood pressure is the top number of the two blood pressure readings and diastolic blood pressure is the second number.
Systolic blood pressure is more important of these two as it is an indicator of cardiovascular disease.
In this study, the benefit of lowering blood pressure lasted throughout the day when the morning walk was combined with three-minute breaks from sitting every half hour.
These three-minute frequent breaks involved casual walking (light-intensity physical activity) during frequent breaks from sitting throughout the day.
Mr Michael Wheeler, the study’s lead author, said:
“For both men and women, the magnitude of reduction in average systolic blood pressure following exercise and breaks in sitting, approached what might be expected from antihypertensive medication in this population to reduce the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
However, this reduction was greater for women.”
The combination of exercise and breaks from sitting benefited women more than men in regards to lowering blood pressure.
This might be because adrenaline (epinephrine) increased in men but decreased in women.
The other factor is that women were post-menopausal, which is a time when women are at greater chance of cardiovascular disease.
The study was published in the journal Hypertension (Wheeler et al., 2019).
The compounds found in this hot drink may provide new ways of treating high blood pressure.
The compounds found in this hot drink may provide new ways of treating high blood pressure.
Both black and green tea contain specific compounds that cause blood vessels to relax and widen, leading to lower blood pressure.
The antihypertensive properties of tea could provide promising treatment candidates for lowering blood pressure, scientists predict.
Tea leaves contain epigallocatechin-3-gallate and epicatechin gallate flavonoids, members of the catechin family.
A study found that these catechins can activate KCNQ5 which in turn causes blood vessels to relax.
KCNQ5 is a potassium channel found in the smooth muscle of blood vessels.
The catechins are antioxidants which have been shown to be effective against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Professor Geoffrey Abbott, the study’s lead author, explained:
“We found by using computer modeling and mutagenesis studies that specific catechins bind to the foot of the voltage sensor, which is the part of KCNQ5 that allows the channel to open in response to cellular excitation.
This binding allows the channel to open much more easily and earlier in the cellular excitation process.”
Nearly one-in-three of the adult population have high blood pressure which is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature death across the world.
Therefore, finding ways to treat this condition would save lives.
Past studies have suggested that drinking tea can consistently lower blood pressure in small amounts.
Understanding the effect of catechins on KCNQ5 can help with the development of anti-hypertensive drugs with higher efficacy.
Many countries, such as the USA and the UK, drink tea with milk but the antihypertensive benefits of tea may be reduced when it is mixed with milk.
The research team experimented with this idea and found that when milk was added to black tea it blocked the activation of KCNQ5.
However, Professor Abbott thinks that the human body will react differently:
“We don’t believe this means one needs to avoid milk when drinking tea to take advantage of the beneficial properties of tea.
We are confident that the environment in the human stomach will separate the catechins from the proteins and other molecules in milk that would otherwise block catechins’ beneficial effects.”
Moreover, the team has examined the effect of temperature on tea and found that at 35 °C the tea’s composition changes, giving greater effects on KCNQ5 activation.
Professor Abbott explained:
“Regardless of whether tea is consumed iced or hot, this temperature is achieved after tea is drunk, as human body temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius.
Thus, simply by drinking tea we activate its beneficial, antihypertensive properties.”
KCNQ5 is also expressed in the brain, playing a role in the regulation of neuronal function.
Mutations in KCNQ5 gene variants stops its channel working properly, causing brain disorders known as epileptic encephalopathy (seizures).
However, catechins have the ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier and activate KCNQ5.
This discovery might help scientists to develop a treatment for fixing broken KCNQ5 channels and amend brain sensitivity regarding seizure.
The study was published in the journal Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry (Redford et al., 2021).
The probiotics that offer a protective effect, returning blood pressure to normal levels.
The probiotics that offer a protective effect, returning blood pressure to normal levels.
Hypertension is a common medical condition and a key risk factor for heart disease affecting nearly half of the global adult population.
Studies show that higher sugar intake, particularly fructose, has resulted in rising prevalence of hypertension globally.
Experts also suggest that some probiotics might influence the gut microbiome in regulating blood pressure.
An animal study found that two probiotics, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, have an antihypertensive effect.
During a 16 week experiment, some mice were fed water mixed with fructose and some also supplemented with Bifidobacterium lactis M8 or Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9 every day.
The probiotic treatment significantly reduced the animals’ blood pressure, returning levels to normal.
The study also suggests that the probiotic efficacy in lowering hypertension is connected to some gut microbes and metabolic pathways.
Dr Jun Li, the study co-author, said:
“Accumulated evidence supports an antihypertensive effect of probiotics and probiotic fermented foods in both in vitro and in vivo experiments.
So we believed that the dietary intake of probiotic foods would well supplement traditional hypertension treatment.”
It seems that excessive sugar intake increases hypertension through different mechanisms, including reduced renal nitric oxide production, insulin resistance, increased salt retention, and gut microbiota alteration.
However, maintaining blood pressure at normal levels in fructose-fed mice suggests that probiotic interventions can improve gut microbial composition.
This study used a method to explore the link between changes in blood pressure and gut microbiota alterations.
The research team noticed that the fructose diet led to a reduction in Firmicutes bacteria and elevated levels of Bacteroidetes.
However, supplementation with either probiotic made the populations of these bacteria return to normal levels.
Moreover, the study identified several bacterial species that affected blood pressure levels.
For example, depleted levels of Alloprevotella and Alistipes and elevated levels of Pyrolobus and Lawsonia species were linked to lower blood pressure.
Dr Zhihong Sun, the study’s co-author, said:
“Probiotics present a promising avenue in preventive medicine.
offering potential in regulating hypertension and reshaping our approach to cardiovascular health.”
The study was published in the journal American Society for Microbiology (Zhang et al., 2023).
The best things to do in order to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
The best things to do in order to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Lifestyle changes should be the first line strategy for preventing and treating high blood pressure, a review suggests.
Good quality sleep, mindfulness, eating dietary fibre, and exercise are among those changes that should be implemented as part of a healthy lifestyle.
While avoiding or reducing exposure to air pollution, smoking, eating salt or sugar, and drinking alcohol are among necessary lifestyle modifications for blood pressure control.
The findings are based on clinical and scientific evidence from 18 countries that looked at effective lifestyle changes for the treatment of hypertension.
Hypertension is characterized as systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 140 mmHg or higher and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mmHg or more.
The condition affects 1.5 billion people globally.
While there are some effective drugs, due to their side effects it is best to begin with some lifestyle modifications.
Professor , the study’s first author, said:
“Our aim was to provide a holistic set of recommendations for changes to lifestyle, which focus on all areas of health, including movement and bodyweight, food and drink, the body and mind, as well as other factors such as exposure to air pollution.”
Professor Bryan Williams, the study’s senior author, said:
“It all sounds like it is a bit soft and fluffy and not as dynamic, for example, as taking drugs but these things make such an important contribution to reducing the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system and the evidence is accumulating.
There’s so much people can do for themselves.
All of us need to take a step back and say, actually, I should be able to find half an hour in my day to have a little bit of time to myself and decompress and just relax—whether it’s listening to music, going for a walk or going to the gym and doing some exercise.”
The study was published in the Journal of Hypertension (Fadi et al., 2023).
Treating this condition in mid- or later life can halt dementia.
Treating this condition in mid- or later life can halt dementia.
Medication to lower blood pressure reduces the risk of dementia by around 13 percent, the strongest evidence yet finds.
Currently, there are very few dementia treatments on the market, therefore finding that lowering blood pressure can significantly reduce the disease or stop its progression is of practical benefit.
Dr Ruth Peters, the study’s first author, said:
“Given population ageing and the substantial costs of caring for people with dementia, even a small reduction could have considerable global impact.
Our study suggests that using readily available treatments to lower blood pressure is currently one of our ‘best bets’ to tackle this insidious disease.”
About 60 million people live with dementia and the condition is rapidly increasing amongst older population at such a rate that it will have tripled by 2050.
According to Dr Peters, while numerous clinical trials have shown the beneficial effects of lowering blood pressure on heart disease and stroke risk, its effect on dementia has not been identified.
Dr Peters said:
“Most trials were stopped early because of the significant impact of blood pressure lowering on cardiovascular events, which tend to occur earlier than signs of dementia.”
The team analysed five trials, each using a different treatment to lower blood pressure of 28,000 older adults across 20 countries.
The participants were followed over four years.
Dr Peters said:
“We found there was a significant effect of treatment in lowering the odds of dementia associated with a sustained reduction in blood pressure in this older population.
Our results imply a broadly linear relationship between blood pressure reduction and lower risk of dementia, regardless of which type of treatment was used.”
The authors believe this finding can help improve public health strategies in decreasing the risk of dementia and its progression.
Dr Peters said:
“Our study provides the highest grade of available evidence to show that blood pressure lowering treatment over several years reduces the risk of dementia, and we did not see any evidence of harm.
But what we still don’t know is whether additional blood pressure lowering in people who already have it well-controlled or starting treatment earlier in life would reduce the long-term risk of dementia.”
The study was published in the European Heart Journal (Peters et al., 2022).
Two servings a day of this high-fat food could lower diabetes risk and reduce high blood pressure.
Two servings a day of this high-fat food could lower diabetes risk and reduce high blood pressure.
Eating more whole fat dairy is linked to a lower incidence of diabetes and hypertension, a study has found.
Having dairy products twice a day in your regular diet reduces the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, the risk factors of Metabolic syndrome.
Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity together will lead to metabolic syndrome, a disorder that puts people at higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
Past studies suggest that higher consumption of dairy products reduces the odds of high blood pressure, diabetes, and so metabolic syndrome.
This study suggests that full-fat dairy foods but not low-fat dairy have the strongest effect on lowering the incidence of metabolic syndrome and its related risk factors.
To test if this is true for populations in different countries, researchers included 21 countries on five continents.
Participants were between 35- and 70-years-old and the average follow-up was over nine years.
Dairy intake was either low-fat (1–2%) or whole-fat, including mixed dishes prepared with dairy ingredients, milk, yogurt, cheese, yogurt drinks, butter, and cream.
Average diary intake was 179 grams (g) per day, with whole-fat dairy intake counting almost twice as much as low-fat.
The standard serving and portion sizes were used, for example, 5 g for one teaspoon of butter, 15 g for a slice of cheese, and 244 g for a cup of yogurt or a glass of milk.
Compared with eating no dairy, two servings a day of dairy foods reduced the risk of metabolic syndrome by 24 percent and for whole-fat diary by 28 percent.
The likelihood of developing diabetes and hypertension was reduced up to 12 percent.
The risk was reduced to 14 percent with a dairy intake of 3 servings per day.
The authors concluded:
“If our findings are confirmed in sufficiently large and long term trials, then increasing dairy consumption may represent a feasible and low cost approach to reducing [metabolic syndrome], hypertension, diabetes, and ultimately cardiovascular disease events worldwide.”
The study was published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care (Bhavadharini et al., 2020).
A common complaint that increases brain aging, unless treated.
A common complaint that increases brain aging, unless treated.
High blood pressure, at any age or for any duration, accelerates brain aging, a study finds.
People with high blood pressure are at greater risk of memory problems and difficulties concentrating and talking fluently.
Around half of all Americans have high blood pressure, which is simply treated with a combination of lifestyle changes and medication.
The cut-off for high blood pressure is around 120 to 130 mmHg (this is the top number on the reading).
Sometimes this range is known as ‘prehypertension’, but the study still found this level damaging to cognitive skills over time.
High blood pressure is problematic for young and old, explained Professor Sandhi M. Barreto, study co-author:
“We initially anticipated that the negative effects of hypertension on cognitive function would be more critical when hypertension started at a younger age, however, our results show similar accelerated cognitive performance decline whether hypertension started in middle age or at older ages.
We also found that effectively treating high blood pressure at any age in adulthood could reduce or prevent this acceleration.
Collectively, the findings suggest hypertension needs to be prevented, diagnosed and effectively treated in adults of any age to preserve cognitive function.”
The conclusions come from an analyses of over 7,000 people in Brazil who were tracked for almost four years.
The results showed that people’s cognitive skills declined if their blood pressure was over 121 mmHg and they did not take medication.
People with uncontrolled hypertension showed the worst declines in thinking skills.
Professor Barreto said:
“In addition to other proven benefits of blood pressure control, our results highlight the importance of diagnosing and controlling hypertension in patients of any age to prevent or slow down cognitive decline.
Our results also reinforce the need to maintain lower blood pressure levels throughout life, since even prehypertension levels were associated with cognitive decline.”
The study was published in the journal Hypertension (Teles De Menezes et al., 2020).
A dietary pattern that can reduce blood pressure effectively, even if consumed with some dairy and meat products.
A dietary pattern that can reduce blood pressure effectively, even if consumed with some dairy and meat products.
Even less strict plant-based diets containing small amounts of animal products can also lower blood pressure, a review reveals.
Researchers from Warwick Medical School point out that dietary patterns containing higher amounts of plant-based foods, if married to small amounts of animal-based foods such as meat and diary will still reduce blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
The team compared seven plant-based diets including the Mediterranean, DASH, vegetarian, high fibre, vegan, high fruit and vegetables, and Nordic.
Several of these diets contained some animal products, but results showed that they exert a similar effect on blood pressure as has been seen in strict vegetarian diets.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, therefore decreases in blood pressure would have a significant positive impact on public health.
The global death rate and number of diseases caused by poor diets are much higher than excessive drinking, smoking, unsafe sex, and drug abuse put together.
Every year about 5 million death could be prevented by eating a more plant-based diet rich in whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
The research team wanted to see if plant-based diets have to be free from any animal product in order to lower blood pressure sufficiently.
Mr Joshua Gibbs, the study’s first author, said:
“We reviewed 41 studies involving 8,416 participants, in which the effects of seven different plant-based diets (including DASH, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, Nordic, high fibre and high fruit and vegetables) on blood pressure were studied in controlled clinical trials.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of these studies showed that most of these diets lowered blood pressure.
The DASH diet had the largest effect reducing blood pressure by 5.53/3.79 mmHg compared to a control diet, and by 8.74/6.05 mmHg when compared to a ‘usual’ diet.
A blood pressure reduction of the scale caused by a higher consumption of plant-based diets, even with limited animal products would result in a 14% reduction in strokes, a 9% reduction in heart attacks and a 7% reduction in overall mortality.
This is a significant finding as it highlights that complete eradication of animal products is not necessary to produce reductions and improvements in blood pressure.
Essentially, any shift towards a plant-based diet is a good one.”
Professor Francesco Cappuccio, study senior author, said:
“The adoption of plant-based dietary patterns would also play a role in global food sustainability and security.
They would contribute to a reduction in land use due to human activities, to global water conservation and to a significant reduction in global greenhouse gas emission.
The study shows the efficacy of a plant-based diet on blood pressure. However, the translation of this knowledge into real benefits to people, i.e. its effectiveness, depends on a variety of factors related to both individual choices and to governments’ policy decisions.
For example, for an individual, the ability to adopt a plant-based diet would be influenced by socio-economic factors (costs, availability, access), perceived benefits and difficulties, resistance to change, age, health status, low adherence due to palatability and acceptance.
To overcome these barriers, we ought to formulate strategies to influence beliefs about plant-based diets, plant food availability and costs, multisectoral actions to foster policy changes focusing on environmental sustainability of food production, science gathering and health consequences.”
The study was published in the journal Journal of Hypertension (Gibbs et al., 2020).
This sign is linked to a 40 percent greater chance of high blood pressure.
This sign is linked to a 40 percent greater chance of high blood pressure.
Repeated trips to the toilet in the night can be a sign of high blood pressure, research concludes.
The more times a person needs to go in the night, the higher the risk.
Nocturia — as night time urination is known to doctors — is linked to a 40 percent greater chance of high blood pressure.
Dr Satoshi Konno, the study’s first author, said:
“Our study indicates that if you need to urinate in the night—called nocturia—you may have elevated blood pressure and/or excess fluid in your body.
If you continue to have nocturia, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and salt intake.”
The Japanese study included 1,882 people who had their blood pressure measured and who were asked how often they urinated in the night.
Over two-thirds suffered from nocturia.
Dr Konno explained the results:
“We found that getting up in the night to urinate was linked to a 40% greater chance of having hypertension.
And the more visits to the toilet, the greater the risk of hypertension.”
Professor Barbara Casadei, president of the European Society of Cardiology, said:
“More than one billion people have high blood pressure worldwide.
High blood pressure is the leading global cause of premature death, accounting for almost ten million deaths in 2015.
ESC guidelines recommend medication to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
A healthy lifestyle is also advised, including salt restriction, alcohol moderation, healthy eating, regular exercise, weight control, and smoking cessation.”
The Japanese have a particular problem with high blood pressure (hypertension), said Dr Mutsuo Harada:
“Hypertension is a national disease in Japan.
The average salt intake in Japan is approximately 10 g/day, which is more than double the average salt intake worldwide (4 g/day).
This excessive salt intake is related to our preference for seafood and soy sauce-based food, so salt restriction is difficult to carry out.”
The study was presented at the 83rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS 2019).
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