World Hypertension Day: A Holistic Approach with Foods, Herbs, and Minerals

Image courtesy Thomas H. and Pixabay

Every year, on May 17th, World Hypertension Day is observed to raise awareness about the importance of monitoring blood pressure and preventing hypertension, a condition that affects millions worldwide. 

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often referred to as a "silent killer" because it typically has no symptoms but can lead to severe health complications like heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure if left untreated. 

While medication is often necessary to manage hypertension, adopting a healthy lifestyle, including dietary changes, can significantly support blood pressure management. In this blog post, we'll explore some foods, herbs, and minerals that can help in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.

Foods:

Leafy Greens: Incorporating leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and collard greens into your diet can be beneficial due to their high potassium content. Potassium helps the body balance sodium levels and relax blood vessel walls, thus lowering blood pressure.

Berries: Berries like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been associated with lower blood pressure levels. They also contain fiber, which can aid in blood pressure management.

Oats: Oats are a great source of soluble fiber, which can help reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Enjoying oatmeal for breakfast or adding oats to smoothies can be a delicious way to incorporate them into your diet.

Fatty Fish: Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower blood pressure levels and reduce inflammation in the body.

Garlic: Garlic contains allicin, a compound that may help relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Incorporating fresh garlic into your meals or taking garlic supplements can be beneficial for blood pressure management.

Herbs:

Basil: Basil is not only a flavoruful herb but also contains compounds like eugenol, which may help lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow.

Hibiscus: Hibiscus tea has been studied for its potential to lower blood pressure. It contains antioxidants like anthocyanins and flavonoids, which may help relax blood vessels and reduce hypertension.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is not only delicious but also may help lower blood pressure by improving blood vessel dilation and reducing inflammation in the body.

Minerals:

Potassium: Potassium is essential for regulating blood pressure. In addition to leafy greens, potassium-rich foods include bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, and beans.

Magnesium: Magnesium plays a crucial role in blood pressure regulation and muscle function. Foods rich in magnesium include nuts, seeds, whole grains, and dark chocolate.

Calcium: Calcium is necessary for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and proper muscle function. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods.

On World Hypertension Day, let's commit to prioritizing our heart health by adopting a holistic approach to blood pressure management. Along with regular exercise and stress reduction techniques, incorporating these foods, herbs, and minerals into our diets can support healthy blood pressure levels and contribute to overall well-being. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or lifestyle, especially if you have existing health conditions or are taking medication for hypertension.

Nearly Two-Thirds of People Aged 30-50 Could have Undiagnosed Blood Pressure warns top BP charity

A massive and worrying 63% of UK adults aged between 30–50 don't know their current blood pressure numbers and could be living daily with undiagnosed blood pressure, which  is increasing their chances of strokes, heart attacks and heart failure which, ironically, are amongst their most feared health conditions (i.e. heart attacks, 31% and stroke, 24%). 

That’s according to a NEW consumer poll by national charity, Blood Pressure UK to mark Know Your Numbers! Week (4-10th September).

With unhealthy lifestyles and poor diet contributing to more young people in their 30s, 40s and 50s being diagnosed with hypertension and around 1 in 3 people in the UK now living with high blood pressure, the charity urges adults of all ages to make the time to check their blood pressure, ideally with a home blood pressure monitor as it’s the easiest way to find out your blood pressure numbers. 

Since high blood pressure is largely without symptoms and the single biggest preventable cause of deaths in the UK, the more people test themselves, the more chance they'll have of controlling it and avoid unnecessary premature death, says Blood Pressure UK. Currently 6.5 million people in the UK remain undiagnosed.

Whilst age is one of many factors in rising blood pressure as our vascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels, changes, it doesn't discriminate. 

That's why adults of ALL ages must Know Their Numbers. In fact, 72% of respondents agree blood pressure isn't only a concern for older people (i.e., those who are 50+).

Despite this and the high percentage of respondents who don't know their blood pressure numbers, 68% agree knowing their blood pressure numbers is vital, whilst two-thirds (66%) of those surveyed claim to understand that persistently high blood pressure can result in heart attacks.

‘My Blood Pressure’ developed alongside clinical experts and brought to you by Kinetik Wellbeing – with the exclusive support of Blood Pressure UK – will also launch as part of Know Your Numbers! Week (4-10th September). 

This user-friendly (and totally free) service empowers users to take control of their heart health and gives them the tools to understand and manage their blood pressure effectively. For more details visit: mybloodpressure.co.uk

Substantial evidence supporting the use of home blood pressure monitoring has shown it gives a better reflection of blood pressure, as being tested in somewhere like a GP surgery or pharmacy which can make patients feel anxious and can affect the result. 

Also, it allows patients to monitor their condition more easily over the longer term. According to NHS England, regular home blood pressure monitoring across a population of 50,000 patients could prevent up to 500 heart attacks and 745 strokes over five years.

Research studies also show eating too much salt can also be a major cause of high blood pressure, particularly the rise in blood pressure with age. As a nation, if we cut one gram of salt from our average daily salt intake, this would cause a fall in blood pressure and there would be approximately 6,000 fewer deaths from strokes and heart attacks each year in the UK.

Phil Pyatt, CEO of Blood Pressure UK said: “Given high blood pressure does not show any clear symptoms, hence being dubbed the ‘silent killer’ all adults, regardless of their age, need to take control of their health by checking their blood pressure regularly, either at home, at a pharmacy or at their GP. Furthermore, simple improvements in diet and lifestyle like eating less salt, more fruit and vegetables and doing more exercise can really help keep blood pressure down.”

Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of Blood Pressure UK says: “Half of all strokes and heart disease are due to high blood pressure which can easily be reduced, particularly by reducing your salt intake and if necessary, taking tablets which rarely have side effects. This will reduce your risk of developing a heart attack, heart failure or a stroke, which can either be fatal or cause life-changing disabilities. This is completely avoidable; it is not the time to dither and delay, it could save your life."

Hemini Bharadia, Marketing Manager for Blood Pressure UK explains: "We encourage the public to make the time to control their health and get their blood pressure checked ideally via home blood pressure monitoring or at their local pharmacy or GP. Home blood pressure monitoring is an effective and inexpensive way to manage your blood pressure and the evidence behind it continues to get stronger.”

To find out more you can visit: bloodpressureuk.org

(Image courtesy of Thomas H. from Pixabay)