Top 10 Foods That Raise Your Blood
Pressure
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March 19, 2011
By Muireann Prendergast, Associate Editor and Featured
Columnist
Did you know that there is a silent killer loose in the United
States? This is high blood pressure. The American Heart
Association asserts that over 74.5 million people in the
country over the age of 20 years old have high blood
pressure, also called hypertension. It affects approximately
one in three adults and kills approximately 50,000 people in
the United States annually. It might be a widespread problem
but is there anything we can do you improve the situation?
Are there dietary changes we can make that could help to
reduce high blood pressure? What foods should you avoid if
you have high blood pressure?
What is High Blood Pressure?
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a body of the
National Institute of Health, defines blood pressure as the
force of blood against the walls of the arteries as the heart
pumps the blood. When the rate at which this happens
increases over time it is called high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is measured using special numbers. These
include systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic blood
pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping
blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart
is at rest between beats.
What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure?
What is the most worrying symptom of high blood pressure?
That it has no symptoms. You might be suffering from high
blood pressure without even knowing it. However, it can
quietly be damaging the main organs of your body. This
damage could cause you to suffer a stroke or heart attack.
Top 10 Foods That Raise Your Blood Pressure
What can we do in our daily life to reduce the chances than
this will happen to us? Studies have shown that certain foods
can increase our blood pressure. We have scoured our
resources to bring you ten of them.
1. Salt/Sodium
A 2008 UK study carried out by researchers at The University
of Cambridge found a link between high dietary salt intake
and high salt pressure. Our kidneys can process a certain level
of salt but when more than this manageable amount of salt is
consumed it leaks into the bloodstream. This salt collects
water and the water then increases the volume of our blood
which produces high blood pressure. This Cambridge study is
significant because of the size of the cohort used in the study
which includes 11,000 men and women throughout Europe.
(Read more about how much is too much salt in your diet.)
2. Processed Foods
The second DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension)
study released in 2000, based on nationwide studies carried
out by the National Institute of Health, promoted the
reduction of processed foods in diet in favor of fresh fruits
and vegetables due to the high sodium content of processed
foods which, was here again linked to high blood pressure.
processed foods include most snacks, cold cuts and processed
meats such as salami and pepperoni.
3. High Carbohydrate Diet
A 2008 study carried out at the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas found that high-
carbohydrate, low-fat, diets caused "significantly higher"
systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure than low
carbohydrate diets.
Carbohydrates stimulate our production of insulin which also
causes our central nervous system to overwork and to
increase our blood pressure, according to the study.
4. Fructose
A 2010 study undertaken at University of Colorado Denver
found a relationship between over consumption of fructose, a
natural sugar found in fruit and table sugar, and high levels of
blood pressure.
The level of fructose consumption considered potentially
dangerous for blood pressure levels is 74g daily – the
equivalent of just 4 soft drinks. (Read more about the health
dangers of soft drinks.)
5. Fatty Foods
A 2003 study carried out by the University of Georgia at
Augusta explored the link between fatty foods and high blood
pressure.
The study found that fatty foods are linked to obesity and that
this condition causes the Leptin system in our body to fail. The
protein hormone, Leptin, triggers the body’s production of the
neurotransmitter catecholamine which regulates the nervous
system, in particular in relation to our stress levels.
Catecholamine, in turn, is supposed to shut down our Leptin
production, but, this often does not happen in obese people.
As a result they often suffer from high blood pressure.
6. Red Meat
A 2009 study published by the Maryland based National
Cancer Institute found a link between elevated red meat
intake and high blood pressure. The study found that those
with a high red meat intake, approximately 160g of red meat
daily, were more inclined towards elevated blood pressure
levels. Red meat can contain toxins consumed by the animal
that are potentially hazardous to humans.
7. Yohimbe Raises Blood Pressure
Yohimbe is an evergreen tree indigenous to Zaire, Cameroon
and Gabon. Yohimbe bark extracts are sometimes sold in
health food stores as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, as a
natural aphrodisiac and also as a weight loss supplement. A
1983 study carried out by researchers from Tennessee’s
Vanderbilt Medical School found that Yohimbe doses of (0.016-
0.125 mg/kg) caused a rise in systolic, and diastolic
hypertension by stimulating the blood’s plasma renin activity.
8. Tyramine
Tyramine is compound derived from the amino acid Tyrosine.
It is naturally found in dairy products and nuts. A 1998 Italian
study carried out at The University of Milan found that
Tyramine, as an adrenaline releasing agent, induced a
temporary rise in blood pressure.
9. Caffeine Raises Blood Pressure
A 1978 study published by researchers at Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, found that
Caffeine increased plasma renin activity by 57 per cent, plasma
norepinephrine by 75 per cent and plasma epinephrine by 207
per cent and can be linked to a rise in blood pressure. (Read
more about the link between coffee and high blood pressure.)
10. Alcohol
A 2001 Finnish study conducted at Oulu University found a
relationship between alcohol intake and high blood pressure.
The study found that men with severe hypertension
manifested a 12-fold increased risk for cardiovascular disease
mortality associated with heavy binge drinking.
Continue reading to find out more natural ways to improve
your blood pressure and general health: Bad Circulation -Top 10
Causes and Remedies / Foods That Shrink Your Waist/ Ideal Breakfast
for Daibetics / Lupus Diet Recommendations /Swollen Ankles -Causes
and Cures / Inflammation-Secret to Disease / Blueberries Reduce Belly
Fat / Diet and Exercise -A Simple Plan for Life /
Ideal Breakfast for Heart Health / Shingles- Causes and Natural Remedies
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