A study revealed that anthocyanins found in berries can help lower blood pressure and thus, manage hypertension.

Hypertension is otherwise known as high blood pressure or tensing of the arteries due to high pressure build-up. These arteries enable the transportation of blood from the heart to all the major organs and tissues in our body.  There are multiple causes of hypertension, such as obesity, chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus type 2, renal infarction and even pregnancy. The normal blood pressure is within the bounds of 120/80, blood pressure ranging to 139/89 is categorized as pre-hypertension, and blood pressure of 140/90 and above is placed on the high category.

Symptoms of hypertension includes chronic headaches that goes on for days, vertigo or dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, double vision or blurry, drowsiness, general fatigue, shortness of breath, and buzzing in the ears commonly known as tinnitus.

Hypertension Management

A treatment for this specific ailment varies but the most efficient cure for hypertension is using a complex approach. It includes patient’s history, age, gravity of the condition, therapy schemes that will concentrate on the ailment’s precise cause. Hypertension curable and it all begins with prevention.  This consists of keeping a healthy weight and lifestyle by avoiding excessive intake of alcohol, smoking cessation, and eating a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. Long ago, hypertension can only be controlled through the use of medications – but not anymore.

More natural forms of treatments are currently being introduced in the market. A study indicates that anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid found in strawberries, blueberries, cherries, purple grapes as well as in vegetables such as purple cabbage and beets, is helpful in alleviating high blood pressure.  According to a research study done by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and a UK based University of Anglia, multiple intake of anthocyanins reduces the dangers of hypertension by up to 12 percent. Hence, the most important advantage one can get from taking in foods that are rich in anthocyanin is the management of hypertension. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a result of chronic hypertension, and it is known to causes half of Europe’s death, and at the same time tallying Europe’s economy expense around $202 billion per year.

Research Findings

For an average span of 14 years, Harvard’s Eric Rimm led the researchers in gathering data from various subjects, consisting of 133, 914 women, and 23,043 men. Flavonoids and other subcategories were analyzed using questionnaires regarding food frequencies and were distributed every 4 years. An accumulation of 5,629 and 29,018 documented cases of hypertension were tabulated in men and women, correspondingly.

When the figures were finally reported, the researchers discovered that the topmost average consumption that ranges from 16.2 to 12.0 milligrams daily was correlated to an 8 percent reduction to the dangers of hypertension. On the other hand, a 12 percent increase in lowering hypertension risk was tabulated among subjects with ages from 60 and above, as compared to the nethermost consumption of anthocyanins, ranging from 5.7 to 6.8.

While no other subcategories of flavonoids were related to high blood pressure, researchers however, observed that the compound apeginin was linked to a 5 percent decrease in risk. When the maximum and minimum levels of intakes were compared, researchers added that a 6 percent reduction in the dangers of hypertension was noted for subjects over the age of 60 that has the topmost average consumption of flavan-3-ol catechin.  Also an important finding was documented stating that the consumption of blueberries among people of the same age group lessened their risk of hypertension by up to 10 percent compared to those who did not consume any blueberries. Dr. Rimm and his colleagues wrote that the results reinforce the theory that antihypertensive biological activities may be applicable to the processes of vasodilation linked with a particular flavonoid physical attribute.

Key Elements

According to Dr. Rimm and his colleagues, there is an existence of vast flavonoid structural varieties, but the likelihood that it can lower the effects of blood pressure is inadequate with regards to its similar anatomical composites which include the catechol and 4’ hydroxy flavonoids.

In addition, the research findings implies that distinct categories of flavonoids are connected with lowering blood pressure especially anthocyanins.  The data is highly significant due to the fact that anthocyanins are commonly found in blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, fruits that are normally consumed and can be easily added to a person’s dietary needs. Researchers also added that blackcurrants, blood orange juice and blueberries have an additional 500 mg of anthocyanins.

The researchers added, that the fundamental biological process wherein flavonoids helps control blood pressure comprise the influence of flavonoids with regards to the vascular movement of blood, vascular reactivity, and the process of glucose uptake.

However, researchers from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that the research needs additional thorough investigations, which will include intervention analysis to assess the ideal dosage of foods that are rich in anthocyanin that could prevent hypertension and reinforce the recommendation and remedy of hypertension.

Additional Information Regarding Flavonoids

Other than hypertension, anthocyanin, the flavonoid compound is also recognized by countless laboratory researches.

• Based on findings, anthocyanin is also potent in preventing cancer by delaying the development of pre-malignant cells, hastening apoptosis, which effectively kills cancer cells in a faster rate.
• It also helps in controlling inflammation by dampening allergic reactions.
• It also cancels out enzymes that damage the connective tissue and its antioxidant properties blocks oxidants from destroying connective tissue.  Furthermore, it repairs proteins that were damaged in the blood vessel wall.
• Anthocyanins, at the same time hinders abnormal protein production, a significant importance for diabetic patients, since profuse protein production may lead to retinopathy which takes place when the body tries to repair leaks from damage capillaries.
• Lastly, anthocyanins may help prevent brain damage. Since the human brain is highly vulnerable to damage by peroxynitrite nitration of tyrosine excess in proteins and enzymes causing neurodegenerative ailments and possible brain trauma. The nitrates impede receptor sites, hence stopping neural growth and restorative processes.  Anthocyanins’ job is to aid the brain by protecting it against neurological diseases.

Sources
madsci.org
medicinenet.com
nutraingredients.com
chiro.org
wrongdiagnosis.com
symptoms-of-hypertension.com
en.wikipedia.org

Study shows that sufficient sleep especially among pregnant women lowers the risk of high blood pressure.

According to a study published in the October 1 issue of the Sleep journal, getting poor quality of sleeping during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase a woman’s risk of developing high blood pressure. The study was conducted by the University of Washington’s School of Public Health in Seattle and was led by epidemiology professor Michele A. Williams, ScD.

The pregnant woman may develop symptoms and complications which may appear in the later months of the pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a serious health condition that is linked to the excessive amounts of protein in urine and high blood pressure is one of its symptoms. This happens after 20 weeks of pregnancy and may increase a woman’s risk of developing eclampsia, a life-threatening condition acquired during pregnancy.

The Results

The study evaluated the health conditions of pregnant women who were in the habit of sleeping six, or less, hours per night and another group of women who consistently sleeps for 9 hours in the same conditions. It was observed that in the third trimester, the first group experienced systolic blood pressure that is almost 4 points higher than the second group. The researchers advised that pregnant women needs to get 9 hours of sleep every night since they have greater needs for sleep.

The researchers also observed women who slept more than 9 hours per night and found out that they had a systolic blood pressure of more than 4 points higher than the women with 9 hours of sleep. Despite of a very minimal difference, the increase in blood pressure is enough to bring a pregnant woman’s blood pressure into an alarming level. Pregnant women who consistently had 9 hours of sleep every night in their early months of pregnancy had an average systolic blood pressure of 114 on their last weeks of pregnancy.

The study consisted of a group of 1200 healthy pregnant women who answered questionnaires regarding their sleeping habits from their first day to the 14th week of pregnancy. 25 percent of the women slept for 9 hours, 13.7 percent slept for 6 hours, 55.2 percent had 8 hours of sleep, and another 10.6 percent had more than 9 hours of sleep. Over 6 percent of the group was diagnosed of having preeclampsia.  According to the survey and health examinations, women with less than 5 hours of sleep every night for the first 3 months of pregnancy have 10 times greater risk of developing preeclampsia.

The study only produced preliminary evidence with no sufficient information regarding the relationship between having too much and too less sleep to a pregnant woman’s blood pressure. Williams said that studies being conducted regarding sleep should put some attention on the effect of good sleeping habits to pregnant women.

Tips to Maintain a Healthy Pregnancy

When pregnant, a woman is aware that she responsible, not only for her own health, but for the health and well-being of a growing life inside her womb.  For some, this complicates the simple.  But there is no need to worry.  Here are a few tips on how to maintain a health pregnancy:

Watch What You Eat

Pregnant women will tend to be very wary about a lot of things, especially when it comes to scrutinizing anything that they put inside their mouth. During pregnancy, a woman needs to be more aware of everything she eats, and it is important to know how one type of food can affect the small and fragile life growing inside them. Because of this, medical experts will advice pregnant women to:

• eat more fruits and vegetables
• drink more juices

This is to supply the body all the nutrients that it needs. Eating fruits is one of the easiest and most effective ways of fulfilling your nutrient requirement as a pregnant woman. You can choose to eat fresh fruits but when eating fruits from a can, choose the ones which are kept in their own juices and not in syrups and liquid sweeteners.

• Eating at least half an ounce of raisins a day can supply you with high amounts of potassium, fiber and iron and at the same time sating your craving for sweets without taking in too much sugar.
• Yogurt is loaded with calcium and it can supply as much as a quarter of your daily requirement. It is also a rich source of probiotics that help in improving digestion and nutrient absorption.
• Mixing cereals with sundries, nuts and berries can either serve as a wholesome breakfast or a fast-grab snack while you are on the go, avoiding the temptation of driving through a fast food for some greasy junk food. Notice that all of these foods are easy to find and make. Pregnancy is already as stressful as it can get. You don’t need to keep yourself worrying about what to eat.

Keep Moving

It’s hard to move around when you are pregnant especially during the last trimester. The fear of falling or slipping may prevent pregnant women from doing too many movements and they may tend to just stay home until the baby arrives. A walk in the park for a few minutes may be good enough to maintain a health pregnancy. But it’s also important to know that exercise does not only improve the your baby’s health while he’s inside you but it also keeps you healthy and may make labor much easier than when you’ve been spending most of your time at home doing limited movements.

According to a study conducted by the American Physiological Society, the earliest stage a person can start preventing the possibility of any heart disease is while he’s inside his mother’s womb. Exercise during pregnancy ensures a healthy heart for babies once they are born. While the pregnant mother is doing her exercises, the baby is also experiencing the same cardio workout and health benefits.

Bask in the Sunshine

Vitamin D deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency in pregnant women. This is according to a study on the health of pregnant women conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburg. Their levels of vitamin D were still below the borderline despite them taking vitamin supplements. Researchers said that the data may mean that women are not getting enough sunlight.

Visit your Doctor Regularly

A consistent prenatal checkup is a necessity to keep the mother and the baby healthy during pregnancy. It is also the best way of diagnosing any possible health complications at the earliest stage. Remember that a person’s mental and physical development starts in the womb, and there are studies to support this fact. Brain development starts really early and insufficient pre-natal support may cause long-term disadvantages.

Sources
webmd.com
naturalnews.com
naturalnews.com
articles.mercola.com

A person’s weight has more bearing on his predisposition to developing high blood pressure than his current fitness level, Texas study says.

In a new study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, researchers established a concrete link between a person’s weight and the incidence of high blood pressure.

It appears that exercising is not enough to keep blood pressure down, because according to Susan Lakoski, MD, obese or overweight individuals are still at high risk for hypertension if they do not get their weight down, despite of their continued efforts at being physically fit.

What does this mean?  According to the researchers, the main target when you want to lower your blood pressure is to get your weight down with your best efforts.

It’s not enough that you get some minutes of exercise per week, though this has not been discredit.  What the researchers are saying is that you have exert every healthy effort to keep your weight down and keep it from going up.

Weight, according to the Texas study, takes precedence to physical activity when it comes to determining the risk for developing high blood pressure.  According to the CDCP, nearly 1/3 of all adult Americans suffer from high blood pressure.

Half of those who suffer from high blood pressure are within the 55+ years range, which means more and more of our seniors are at greater risk of suffering from stroke, coronary heart disease and other dangerous medical conditions.

According to the study’s data, it appears that only the people within the normal weight range experience palpable blood pressure benefits when they exercised.

The bottom line?  People should focus on getting their weight within the normal range and start moving.  Because obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can increase mortality and risk for many negative health conditions, including heart problems.

Natural ways to keep your blood pressure down

If you have high blood pressure, follow these guidelines to naturally keep your blood pressure down:

1. It would do your heart a world of good if you quit smoking today – because cigarettes have been proven to contribute to the development of hypertension in both men and women.

2. If you are presently overweight, cut down on fatty foods and start exercising to lose the extra pounds.

3. Exercise 30 to 40 minutes everyday.  Experts recommend 150 minutes of exercise for both men and women for general wellness.  Regular exercise is also a general preventive for many diseases and negative health conditions.

4. Cut down on your coffee intake, as caffeine has been shown to increase blood pressure.  Limit your intake of regular coffee to 1 to 2 cups per day to reduce your caffeine load.  Substitutes to coffee like green tea are a good idea, because green tea only has half of the caffeine content of regular coffee.

5. Reduce your salt intake, because sodium directly increases a person’s blood pressure.  More than 2,300 milligrams of the stuff per day can cause your blood pressure to spike.

6. Control your stress level, because stress can cause hypertension and can also affect your mental health in the long term.  Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, stretching, meditation and aromatherapy are options that you can explore when it comes to de-stressing.

7. Natural supplements like fish oil, garlic, hawthorn and folic acid have been known to reduce oxidative stress of the heart and the other organs in the body, which may help in your overall effort to reduce your blood pressure.  Coenzyme Q10 or Co-Q10 has also shown great promise when it comes to protecting the heart and reducing a person’s blood pressure.

Sources:
familydoctor.org
newsmaxhealth.com
altmedicine.about.com

Regular intake of table sugar and fruit sugars have been linked to increased blood pressure, study says.

Based on a new study from the National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey, regular intake of table sugar or fruit sugars can increase a person’s risk of doubling his risk of dramatically increasing his systolic blood pressure above the 160 mark. Normal systolic blood pressure should be no more than 120.

Growing body of evidence

According to one of the researchers, Michael Chonchol MD from the University of Colorado in Denver, systolic blood pressure really is the determining factors when it comes to determining health outcomes.

Though more research is needed for a more conclusive statement regarding the connection between sugar intake and high blood pressure, the American Heart Association has already released a formal statement that said that an emerging body of studies is pointing at the potential lead role of sugar in high blood pressure.

As such, people should limit their intake of food with added fruit sugars or table sugar to reduce their risk of developing hypertension.

Lowering blood pressure naturally

You don’t have to be dependent all your life on heart medications. If you want to lower your blood pressure naturally today, you can do that. Follow our steps on lowering your blood pressure naturally:

1. Eat foods that are high in soluble fiber, fruits, anti-oxidant rich vegetables, low-fat dairy products (such as yogurt and skim milk) and low in saturated fat.

Limit your intake of red meats as well and limit your intake of processed foods and frozen deserts to reduce your sugar intake. It is also recommended that people reduce their intake of soda and other sugary drinks to limit your intake of corn syrup and similar sweeteners.

2. Salt intake should be no more than 2,400 milligrams daily. Check the labels of your food products at home to check just how much sodium is going into your body whenever you eat dinner or snack on a bag of chips or cookies.

Some sports drinks also have sodium added (as ‘electrolytes’). This form of sodium can also raise your blood pressure. If you think your regular diet is sodium-rich, you have to balance your body’s chemistry by adding more potassium to your diet.

Potassium-rich foods include bananas, avocado, etc. When you are doing your grocery shopping, choose low-salt alternatives to regular processed foods.

When cooking food at home, always add salt at the end of the cooking process so you would need to add only a very small amount (if it all). The healthier alternative would of course to replace salt with spices and non-salt based flavorings.

3. Exercise at least thirty minutes every day (for a total of 150 minutes of conventional/traditional exercise every week). Weight loss equivalent to 10 pounds can already produce dramatic reductions in blood pressure.

Three types of exercise are recommended for weight loss and blood pressure reduction efforts: stretching, cardiovascular exercises (also known as aerobic exercise) and strengthening exercises. Remember, there are three phases for every exercise: warm-up, conditioning and cool-down.

4. Alcohol consumption should also be reduced to two drinks everyday or less (or none!). Women should have no more than one drink per day to control blood pressure. One serving is equivalent to twelve ounces of regular beer, five ounces of wine (any type of wine) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquors.

5. You have to lower your cholesterol level too, if you want to permanently reduce your blood pressure. You can do this by eating more fiber, exercising more and avoiding foods that have been loaded with saturated fats. You can also stock up on potent antioxidants known as polyphenols by drinking green tea. Nuts are also rich in antioxidants and can naturally lower your bad cholesterol level.

Sources:
nytimes.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com

High blood pressure numbers can do a real number on your brain health.

If you’ve read my book The Blood Pressure Miracle, then you know what a devastating impact high blood pressure has on heart health. But what you may not know is that high blood pressure jeopardizes our mental health as well.

Over the years, multiple studies have shown links between deteriorating brain health and high blood pressure.  One such study recently published in the journal Stroke found that older people with high blood pressure tended to have a greater accumulation of white matter on their brains.  Past studies on people with various forms of dementia—including Alzheimer’s disease—have found that people with the most severe forms of dementia have this so-called white matter.  White matter is basically scarring that’s formed on the brain.

Another study linking high blood pressure to dementia was published in the online issue of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension (December 2009).  Among the 1,400 elderly women studied over the eight-year study, a certain segment had “significantly more” lesions by study’s end.  What portion?  You guessed it—the ones with high blood pressure.

Not surprisingly, researchers believe that the longer high blood pressure goes unchecked, the greater risk there is for dementia.  And since high blood pressure is known as “the silent killer,” this is a serious concern that happens all the time.

Researchers are so sure of this hypertension/dementia link that the big dog on campus, the National Institutes of Health, is recruiting thousands of elderly people with high blood pressure to take part in their study.

The manner in which the recruits will be treated is not yet known, but I’d be willing to bet that they’ll be treated with some kind of statin.

You already know how I feel about statins, but if statins are the way the researchers go for treatment, fine by me.   The natural method is the ideal method, but when people have dangerously high blood pressure levels, desperate times call for desperate measures.

High blood pressure is one of the leading health risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in America.  According to the CDC, approximately 630,000 people died from heart disease in 2006 (the latest year available with this kind of information).   Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is the seventh most common cause of death in the country.  Approximately 72,450 people died from Alzheimer’s in 2006.

If you want to know how to get your blood pressure under control naturally, then you’re in the right place. Natural Health On The Web is an ideal place to begin your research.  There is plenty of free information on high blood pressure available to you on this website.  I suggest starting in the following section: High Blood Pressure.

Sources:
newsmaxhealth.com
cdc.gov

The last time I wrote about the Mediterranean diet – the diet that evokes thoughts of ocean and sand, yet is built on the brick-and-mortar foundation of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and sea-faring protein sources – I talked about a huge study that showed how strict adherents to it reduced their risk of the country’s most pernicious diseases, like Alzheimer’s , cancer , Parkinson’s , and heart disease – America’s leading cause of death.

Well, you can now add another deadly disease the Mediterranean diet’s leaves in its wake:  hypertension.

As most of you know, I’ve written extensively about high blood pressure.  Hypertension runs in my family, and it took me several years to develop a program aimed at lowering high blood pressure that avoids the life-long cycle of having to take medications.

The proven techniques and strategies are compiled in my book, The Blood Pressure Miracle .  Some of the strategies I talk about relate back to diet, with many of the foods I suggest straight out of the Mediterranean diet playbook.

So this latest study really substantiates much of what’s already been substantiated in my book (and substantiated by those who’ve given it rave reviews on Amazon.com).  But it never hurts to have more evidence supporting natural health solutions – particularly for the skeptics and naysayers of natural health, for whom it takes an act of God to convince them of its efficacy.

The latest study comes out of the University of Navarra, hailed widely as one of Spain’s top private universities.  The researchers there analyzed data collected from approximately 8,500 middle-aged men and women (average age:  41).  They found that those men and women whose diets consisted of primarily fresh fruits and vegetables and limited doses of olive oil consumption (less than 15 grams per day) were at a reduced risk for hypertension than those who didn’t follow similar eating patterns.

Doesn’t get much simpler than that, does it?

The study’s full findings are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Just as hypertension is a huge problem in America, it’s just as big a problem throughout the countries that make up Europe.  In the UK, for instance, it’s estimated that one in three Britons have high blood pressure, and one out of those three doesn’t even know it.  In Germany, the prevalence of high BP is even higher than it is in America, as a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the prevalence of hypertension was highest in Germany and lowest in America (when comparing the prevalence rate among six European countries to Canada and the United States).

Hypertension is not just figures given to you by your doctor, where you either have it or you don’t, and that’s that.  Because if you have hypertension, you’re often forced to confront a boatload of other health issues, be them intensely private (e.g. sexual), to intensely serious (e.g. heart disease).

It doesn’t have to be that way, though.  Whether it’s taking proactive steps to avoid hypertension from the get-go, to implementing the steps needed to get those numbers down from where they are now, hypertension does not have to be a part of your life.

And it all starts with diet.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
bpassoc.org.uk
cat.inist.fr

High blood pressure

Children everywhere seem to be doing, becoming or experiencing things earlier in life than when I was a kid.  They’re having sex at a younger age, involved with drugs at a younger age, drinking at a younger age and gaining weight at a younger age. 

In my day, youth was supposed to be a time of innocence, a time when a kid didn’t have to worry about the ways of the world and what it took to avoid pitfalls.

That doesn’t seem to be the case today, as a kid’s world is rife with minefields and pitfalls, most of them forming as a consequence of their actions.  Take obesity as an example.  Most of us know that kids are as heavy as they’ve ever been.  This, of course, is terrible for kids’ long term physical health, but the effects of obesity impact their mental health as well.

Take high blood pressure, or hypertension.  It’s estimated that 10 percent of America’s obese children has hypertension.  Again, this spells disaster for their long term health, as any hypertensive adult can attest.  But it’s particularly bad for young kids, because besides disaster, hypertension also spells failure…as in failure in school.

The findings regarding hypertension and cognitive ability were discovered by Marc Lande, a pediatric nephrologist from the University of Rochester Medical Center.  He recruited 32 children with normal blood pressures and 32 other children, most of whom were both overweight and hypertensive.  He then had them answer a number of questions that tested their cognitive abilities, or how well they were able to think, reason and remember.

While the difference in cognitive abilities was not so stark as to warrant a tutor or medical intervention for the obese kids, it was “concerning” enough to “warrant further study,” as Lande put it.

The children tested were between the ages of 10 and 18.  Each of the 64 boys and girls were matched with someone similar to them from an age, race, gender and IQ perspective; the only difference was in their girth and blood pressure levels.  The study has since been published in the Journal of Pediatrics. 

While I’m saddened by these findings, it serves as a testimony as to why I do what I do and write what I write.  Just recently my book “The Blood Pressure Miracle” was widely released in stores and made available both on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  I can’t thank enough the thousands who’ve already read it or are planning on reading it.  I can assure you, you’ll be glad you made the purchase.  It will give you the proper tools you need to lower your blood pressure entirely naturally, without pharmaceuticals that are rife with side effects.  It will also take you on a step-by-step guide on how to bring yourself – or your children – back to vigorous health, with their blood pressure levels in check. 

If there was ever any doubt, let that doubt end today: high blood pressure affects virtually every aspect of life – from the physical, to the intellectual, even the emotional (Lande’s findings also revealed that children who were both hypertensive and obese were more likely to suffer from depression).  But you can put life’s triumvirate of aspects back into harmony with “The Blood Pressure Miracle.”

Source:
Science Daily

If you have read my book, you might recall the portion that discusses the role sleep plays in avoiding or precipitating hypertension.  A Columbia University study analyzed the health and sleeping habits of over 4,000 men and women.  Independent of other risk factors, the researchers’ determined that the participants’ blood pressure rates were elevated because of their lack of sleep, just six hours a night on average.  This isn’t much of a surprise, really, as sleep plays a role in the regulation of blood pressure levels. 

If only this information could be hammered into our youth of the nation’s heads like the music blaring from their iPods is.  Because according to a team of researchers from Case Western University, the lack of sleep teens get contributes to hypertension, as the role of sleep on blood pressure levels applies to everyone – not just the folk beyond their high school days.

The study involved approximately 250 students between the ages of 13 and 16.  Besides the regular health check-ups, the researchers asked the participants to fill out a sleep diary, keeping track of how many hours they slept in the study period; the sleeping behaviors of the participants were observed throughout the study period as well.

At the outset, 14 percent of the participants were either pre-hypertensive or hypertensive.  Making sure that other factors didn’t contribute to their findings – like weight, and sex – the researchers found a pattern in the blood pressure levels of the participants and their sleep behavior.  Similar to the aforementioned Columbia University study, the researchers found that the blood pressure levels were higher for those who slept less than six and a half hours on average a night; those who had trouble falling asleep had even higher readings.  These findings led the researchers to conclude that less than six and a half hours of sleep a night doubles the risk of hypertension, and if one has trouble sleeping, that risk is tripled.

Eight hours of sleep is recommended for everyone per night, particularly for teenagers.  This is the stage of life where so much is going on in a teen’s brain, lots of wiring and rewiring that will ultimately determine what kind of adults they’ll turn out to be.  As important as sleep is to the brain, though, it plays an even more important role in the regulation of a healthy blood pressure. 

School days are just about here again.  It’s my hope that as kids shop for back-to-school clothes in the waning days of summer, they will do it on a good night’s sleep.  Hopefully, they’ll continue their good sleeping habits – turning in around the same time every night and awaking around the same time every morning – throughout the school year (consistency in time to bed and time to rise improves sleep quality).  It will not only improve their performance in school, but it will also improve their performance in other aspects of their busy lives, be them in sports (greater concentration skills), with friends (decreased moodiness makes for increased camaraderie) or in the arts (improved focus).

Tennessee Doctors Mark C. Houston of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Karen J. Harper of Harper Medical Communications, Inc. both note the reasoning behind high blood pressure and heart disease is the lack of potassium in the typical diet. They refer to vegetarians and people living in isolated areas to solidify this point. Potassium is found in fruits and vegetables and both of these groups are known to include a significant amount in their diet. Furthermore, they are also prone to consume less sodium. A healthy balance between the levels of potassium and sodium one eats is what helps potassium function efficiently within the body. 

This is a tremendous contrast with the average person’s processed diet, which has them eating double the recommended amount of sodium and half the recommended amount of potassium (which is 4.7 grams per day, according to the American Heart Association as of 2006). In societies where fruits and vegetables are typically undesirable and rarely eaten, the effect is startling.  Houston and Harper found that while only one percent of those living in isolated areas have been diagnosed with hypertension, a staggering one out of three citizens of industrious areas suffer from it.    

Houston and Harper strongly advocate eating potassium as an effective strategy, saying, “An increase in potassium with a decrease in sodium is probably the most important dietary choice (after weight loss) that should be implemented to reduce cardiovascular disease.” Should those living with hypertension heed this vital advice, more than ten percent of them can lower their blood pressure significantly.  The daily intake of five hundred to a thousand milligrams of magnesium and over eight hundred milligrams of calcium have also been proven through other studies to assist with blood pressure.

It must be noted that potassium provides other benefits and to be deficient allows room for risks to the body. This can range from acne or extremely dry skin to hypoglycemia or hypokalemia to even insomnia or depression. The most obvious way to lack potassium is through diet, but there are other ways that make it difficult for the body to absorb it. Taking certain prescription drugs like steroids, penicillin, ACE-inhibitors and diuretics, eating disorders, alcohol or laxative abuse can all negatively affect potassium intake. 

When potassium is consumed correctly it can aid in allergies and blood pressure, as previously discussed. It is a mineral that brings nutrients to the cells and carries waste away from them. Again, it requires a healthy balance with sodium to be effective. The balance lessens the chance of a stroke and assists in the conversion of carbohydrates to energy. The level of potassium must be larger than the level of sodium in the body. This creates the membrane potential, which contributes to a person’s nerve, muscle and heart functions through the carrying of electrical messages between them.

Publishing their results in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers studied over 3,500 young men and women over the course of 10 years. During that 10-year period, the researchers routinely checked the participants’ blood pressure levels in order to identify what effect elevated blood pressure levels had on long-term health.  What they found was that among those with just moderately high blood pressure levels – i.e. pre-hypertensive blood pressure levels, which are levels between 120 and 139 for the systolic and between 80 and 89 for the diastolic – they increased their chances of developing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels narrow due to plaque build-up, which essentially blocks blood from getting to its destination. Atherosclerosis can often lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure and a number of other life-threatening diseases.

Now, this finding might not seem all that surprising. In fact, it sounds logical: the higher your blood pressure is, the worse it is for your health. But what makes this finding so noteworthy is that even moderately high blood pressure levels should be cause for concern. Even among the young. It should be noted that approximately 20 percent of the 3,500 young adults in the study developed pre-hypertension in the 10-year period – way too high for such a young group of people.

As the lead researchers said, making blood pressure a health priority among young adults will be a challenge. Remaining lean and physically active are important aspects of our health, but so is maintaining a healthy blood pressure. And I think anyone would admit blood pressure does not receive the same media attention as weight loss and exercise receive. That needs to change. After all, there are many people with high blood pressure without their even knowing it (they don’t call hypertension “the silent killer” for nothing). This is because hypertension is no respecter of sizes. In other words, while overweight people are more likely to have hypertension, thin people are at risk for it as well.  If you have a history of it in your family, if you’re African American, if you smoke, if you drink a lot of alcohol, if you eat a lot of salty foods, if you’re pregnant, or if you simply don’t exercise much – you are at an increased risk for hypertension.

No one is immune from hypertension – not even young adults. Not even moderately high blood pressure levels are acceptable. And as the study revealed, the longer your blood pressure levels hover in the “moderately high” range, the greater the risk for developing atherosclerosis.