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Most
doctors immediately reach for blood pressure medications to prescribe to people with high blood pressure.
But
a new study by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers now shows that they
are wrong to do so, as simple dietary changes are much more effective than blood pressure medications —without the side effects.
The
two most common diets recommended for high blood pressure are a low-salt diet and the US National Institutes of Health’s DASH diet.
This
research team decided to find out what would happen if people followed both
these at the same time.
They
gathered 412 adults with high blood pressure. None of the participants were taking blood pressure medications.
They
put all of them on the DASH diet for 12 weeks and, during this same period,
they randomly put each participant on low, medium, and high sodium diets for
four weeks at a time.
The
participants experienced an average of 4 – 11 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure when on the DASH diet alone. The higher their original
blood pressure was, the more their blood pressure went down.
But when they added the low-salt diet to the
DASH diet, they hit the jackpot:
1.
Those with a systolic score between 120 and 129 dropped 5 mm Hg.
2. Those with a score between 130 and 139 dropped 7 mm Hg.
3. Those with a score between 140 and 149 dropped 10 mm Hg.
4. Those with a score from 150 upwards dropped 21 mm Hg.
2. Those with a score between 130 and 139 dropped 7 mm Hg.
3. Those with a score between 140 and 149 dropped 10 mm Hg.
4. Those with a score from 150 upwards dropped 21 mm Hg.
This is genuinely spectacular for two reasons:
Firstly,
it works best for those who need it the most, namely, those with the highest blood pressure.
Secondly,
beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, the two most commonly prescribed blood pressure medications, lower blood pressure by only 10 to 15 mm Hg.
This
means that dieting
is more effective than the blood pressure medications
doctors prescribe, especially if your blood pressure is above 150 mm Hg.
The
participants did have their meals
prepared strictly according to the two diets, so to achieve these results, you
will have to be precise.
The
DASH diet
is basically an Americanized version of the Mediterranean diet. It is rich in
vegetables and fruits, and it encourages the intake of legumes, nuts, seeds,
low-fat dairy, lean meat, fish, poultry and whole grains.
It
does not permit refined grains, animal fats, hydrogenated oils, or sugary
treats or drinks.
The
US Food and Drug Administration recommends a maximum of 2,300 mg of salt per
day, but this qualified as medium-salt intake in the study. To meet
requirements for the low-salt diet, you should eat no more than 1,150 mg of
daily salt.
This
means eating almost no processed foods like deli meats, chips, sauces,
marinades, soups, sandwich spreads, and so forth.
Now,
if this sounds like too big of a dietary adjustment for you, then there is
another option that doesn’t require dietary changes.
This post is from the High Blood
Pressure Exercise Program. It was created
by Christian Goodman Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of
the top quality national health information websites.
This program will
provide you the natural high blood pressure treatments, natural recipes to cook
healthy meals and useful strategies to build a healthy diet with the aim to
help you to maintain and stabilize your blood pressure.
