Page 60 - What Doctors Don't Tell You - AU-NZ (February-March 2020)

FAMILY HEALTH
FA MI LY

Natural EAT MORE FRUIT AND VEG

Simply upping your intake of fruit and vegetables
remedies for can significantly lower blood pressure. Both are good
2
d
sources of potassium and fiber, which are knownto
3
reduce readings. See the box below for the varietiesthat
high blood are especially good at keeping your blood pressureleveels

incheck.
pressure BP-lowering Berries. Eating 3.5 Raisins. Snacking on

foods oz (100 g) of berries a handful of raisins n
s
me
a
y
da
ti
three times a day can
plus a berry drink
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e
re
ca
I recently had a health screeninngand Beets. A dail y dose daily can cut systolic significantly lower
found out I have high blood of beet j juice can blood pressure by blood presssure in
er blood
t
pressure. I am a healthy weight, lowe up to 7 mmHg. 6 as little as a month. 8
don’t smoke and rarely drink. pre 4 Blueberries, bilberries, Tomatoes. Drinking Bananas. A fruit
essure.
Can you suggest any proven Re searchers lingonberries, unsalted tomato juice famed for its high
diet and lifestyle changes to thi nk it’s blackcurrants, has been found to potassium content,
bring it down? becau strawberries, reduce both systolic bananas may
use beets
A.S., via email are rich in nitratee, chokeberries and an d li blood help lower blood
nit
rich
in
are
nitrat
d didiastolic
o
bl
e
which increases levels raspberries are all presssure in peo pressure when eaten
ople
y
g
High blood pressure, also called of blood vessel- good choices. with hypertensio regularly. 9
on aand
hypertension, is defined as having a dilating nitric oxide in re r hypertens on””
sustained reading of 140/90 mmHg or above the blood. But beets (s ( ligh tly
in the UK and 130/80 mmHg in the US. It appear to hhave ab a ove-
o
rarely causes any overt symptoms, but can blood presssure- n nor mal
seriously damage organs such as the heart, lowering ood
kidneys and brain, while contributing to the effects essur e). 7
risk of heart attack and stroke. independent
But you shouldn’t worry yet. A singlehigh of nitrate, too. 5
t
blood pressure reading does not necesssarily
mean you have a problem.
A huge variety of factors can influence CONSIDERSUPPLEMENTS
n
your reading, such as the time of day,room
Av ariety of supplements have been found to effectively
a
temperature, eating or drinking withinthe
w
previous hour, physical exertion, stresss— lo werblood pressure. It’s best to consult a qualified
even just having a conversation. Andyou practit tioner to determine what supplements and dosages
y
areb e
estfor you, but here are some of the top ones to try,
c
may have heard of the “white coateffect”—a
rise in blood pressure caused by theveryact wit thsuggested dosages, according to the evidence.
of having it measured by a doctor. Garl ic:Numerous studies show that garlic supplements
can
neffectively reduce blood pressure in people with
To work out whether your bloodpreessure
is cause for concern, your doctor may hypertension. 10
Suggested dosage: 600 mg/day garlic extract
g
recommend ambulatory monitoring,which Co enzyme Q10: In one study, this potent antioxidant
involves measuring your blood pressuure
dlower systolic blood pressure (the top number) by
over a 24-hour period, or home monitoring, could
t
whereby you take your own readings. upto 17mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom
m
nu mber) by up to 10 mmHg without significant side-
These types of monitoring havebeennshown 11
to provide a better measure of cardiovascular effects.
Suggested dosage: 100 mg twice/day
risk than manual blood pressure readinngs Om
mega-3s: Supplements of these essential fatty acids
1
taken in the office or clinic. cons istently cut blood pressure in clinical trials. Higher
i
If, after careful monitoring, it turnsout doses
sappear to have the most dramatic effects, but even
that your blood pressure is unhealthilyy lo 12
ower doses can lead to significant reductions.
high, there are a number of simplesteppsyou Suggested dosage: 3 to 15 g/day total omega-3s
can take to lower it, providing thereisnnot Gr ape seed extract: Results from 16 trials involving
a specific cause such as kidney diseaseora more than 800 people show that grape seed extract has a
t
hormonal disorder. Here are somenatural beneficial effect on blood pressure. 13
w
remedies and lifestyle changes to try,with Suggested dosage: 150 to 300 mg/day
goodevidenceofsuccess.
60 WDDTY | ISSUE 04 | FEB/MAR 2020 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ