Blood Pressure

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Lower your blood pressure Aging baby boomers are at risk. Here are 10 ways food can help.

1. Watch the salt. Unless you already have high blood pressure, too much salt intake won't elevate it, according to several studies - including a new study of nearly 42,000 female nurses by Harvard researcher Alberto Ascherio. But roughly one-third of those with high blood pressure who are salt-sensitive may benefit from cutting sodium. Brent Egan, M.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina warns that restricting salt actually drives up blood pressure in some individuals. Thus, if you cut salt, monitor your blood pressure to be sure it's going in the right direction. About 80 percent of the sodium in American diets comes from processed foods.

2. Watch the sugar. Sugar may be as big a villain in raising blood pressure as salt, says Harry G. Preuss, M.D., of Georgetown University Medical School. And the typical American diet, packed with both salt and sugar, is worst of all, he says. In animal studies, he finds salt and sugar together boost blood pressure more than either alone. Sugar appears to disrupt the metabolism of insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure. Also, heavy consumption of sugar induces salt and water retention.

A possible safeguard: Take chromium supplements. They work in animals, says Preuss, who takes 500 micrograms of chromium daily. U.S. Department of Agriculture experts recommend 100 to 200mcg daily to help regulate insulin and blood sugar in normal people. Diabetics can benefit from 1,000mcg.

3. Load up on fruits and vegetables. Numerous studies point to fruits and vegetables as anti-high blood pressure agents. The new Harvard study showed that the women who ate the most fruits and vegetables were the least likely to have high blood pressure. Most protective: apples, oranges, prunes, carrots, grapes, alfalfa, mushrooms, celery and raw spinach. Vegetarians generally have lower blood pressure than meat eaters, and switching to a vegetarian diet can lower blood pressure, other studies show.

4. Try garlic. Preuss of Georgetown University says garlic contains chemicals that act like ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, those prescription drugs commonly given to lower blood pressure and protect the heart. In his tests of hypertensive rats, various types of garlic, including Kwai and Kyolic (two brand-name supplements), significantly depressed blood pressure. Preuss says garlic also works by dilating blood vessels. A recent analysis of eight controlled human studies found that taking 600-900 milligrams of Kwai daily (equal to one or two cloves of fresh garlic) lowered mild blood pressure an average 8 percent in one to three months, according to professors Christopher Silagy of the University of South Australia and Andrew Neil of Oxford University.

5. Eat more fiber. Much research shows high-fiber foods keep blood pressure down. The new Harvard study found that women who ate 25 grams of fiber a day were 25 percent less apt to develop high blood pressure than those eating only 10 grams daily. Best bets: foods high in soluble-type fiber, mainly fruits, vegetables, rice and oats. Insoluble fibers, as in wheat bran, don't work as well. James Anderson, M.D., University of Kentucky, put diabetic men on a diet high in soluble fiber; their blood pressure dropped 10 percent.

6. Boost vitamin C. Much research suggests vitamin C can both prevent and reduce high blood pressure. Tufts University researchers found that people failing to get the daily vitamin C in an orange (70mg) had 11 points higher systolic pressure (the upper number in blood pressure readings) and 6 points higher diastolic (the bottom number) pressure than those who ate more vitamin C. Consistently, people with high blood levels of vitamin C have lower blood pressure, according to research by Elaine B. Feldman of the Medical College of Georgia. She also found that taking 1,000mg of vitamin C daily lowered normal blood pressure about 4 percent. "Vitamin C seems to have unique pharmacological activity," she says.

7. Eat the right fat. Saturated animal fat in meat and dairy products boosts blood pressure. Vegetable fats tend to lower it. Studies show that substituting olive oil for other fats lowers blood pressure. Fish oil also tends to suppress blood pressure. A recent Danish study suggests that three servings a week of fish, preferably fatty (salmon and sardines), help keep a lid on blood pressure. The new Harvard study linked red meat, particularly hamburger, to high blood pressure.

8. Eat your minerals. The big three anti-hypertensive minerals are calcium, magnesium and potassium. In the Harvard research, a magnesium deficiency was the worst dietary culprit in boosting blood pressure. Fruit, surprisingly, popped up as the best anti-hypertensive source of magnesium. Nuts, whole grains and leafy green vegetables also are rich in magnesium. Milk (make it low-fat) is packed with the three minerals and has been found to help lower blood pressure. Eating high-potassium fruits and vegetables also lowers the risk of both high blood pressure and strokes. An extra daily serving of a high-potassium food lowered the risk of stroke 40 percent in one study of older people at the University of California at San Diego.

9. Limit alcohol. Three or more alcoholic drinks a day is the most common cause of ordinary hypertension, doubling the number of adults with the condition, experts say. On the other hand, a little alcohol -- fewer than one or two drinks daily -- may help keep blood pressure lower in moderate drinkers than in non-drinkers, finds Harvard's Matthew Gillman. Other research suggests red wine may be best, in moderation, because chemicals in red wine and red grape juice tend to dilate blood vessels, possibly lowering blood pressure.

10. Lose weight. A major cause of high blood pressure is excessive weight. As many as one-third of high blood pressure sufferers are overweight. And there's no better way to get your blood pressure down than to drop excess pounds. One classic study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that losing an average 23 pounds in two months depressed systolic pressure 26 points and diastolic 20 points. Blood pressure returned to normal in two-thirds of the patients.

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