Halting Hypertension - The Food Health Connection: Healthy Eating A Guide To The New Nutrition

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Halting hypertension

About half of adults in the United States, and 80% of those over 50, have blood pressure high enough to put them at risk for heart disease. A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg or lower. The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is defined as 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

Diet has a big impact on blood pressure. The DASH diet was the first diet plan shown to reduce high blood pressure. No one has teased out exactly which components of this healthy diet influence blood pressure, but the evidence for its effectiveness is striking. The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, and low in red meat and other sources of saturated fats, sweets, and sugary drinks. Further refinements came in 2005 with the OmniHeart trial that improved on the DASH diet and showed that reducing carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats or proteins can lower blood pressure even more.

These diet plans reduce blood pressure enough that many people with mild hypertension can try using them instead of blood pressure drugs. For people already taking blood pressure drugs, the diet could enable them to reduce the dose or the number of drugs they take.

One reason these diets work is that they are rich in potassium, a mineral known to lower blood pressure. Potassium is found in many fruits and vegetables including bananas, melons, and avocados. Reducing salt intake enhances the effect. Research shows that salt can raise blood pressure and suggests that reducing salt intake may help offset the natural rise in blood pressure that occurs with age. But trying to reduce the salt in your diet is a bit like trying to sail around an iceberg. The vast bulk of the salt in your diet, about 75%, lurks hidden in the many manufactured or processed foods you buy at the store. So make sure to read food labels.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007