7 spices for lower blood pressure

High blood pressure is an epidemic that is currently sweeping across America. The fast lifestyle of fast food, soda and stress is starting to catch up on the average American, so much so that an estimated one in every three Americans has high blood pressure. This puts them at risk of heart disease, stroke and even kidney disease. Moreover, this condition is costing the country 93.5 billion dollars in health care services.

Putting too much faith in the medical establishment to find a cure for your high blood pressure may no longer be advisable in the least. The number of prescription drugs on the market and the cascade of variations suggest that a cure for blood pressure is not in the offing anytime soon.

Despite all the consequences associated with high blood pressure, it is still a condition that is preventable and easily managed. Observing a healthy balanced diet and enjoying an active, healthy lifestyle can help avoid the risk of high blood pressure as well as reduce one that is already elevated.

High blood pressure - A package of woe

There is no one identifiable cause for high blood pressure. A combination of factors like stress, alcohol, smoking, weight and lack of physical activity seem to have to come together to produce this problem, which is further compounded by family history and age.

Although it is a condition that if left unattended could gravitate to something worse, high blood pressure is not a disease. Taking proactive measures in preventing heart diseases, stroke and even kidney disease by managing your blood pressure may be the best decision you can make today.

While the idea of drug-free high blood pressure management through the use of herbs and spices has slowly been gaining ground, it is still treated with skepticism by the medical establishment. The reliance on prescription drugs, however, has not in any way shown that high blood pressure could be cured through this manner. There are still reports by patients who are currently using drugs to manage their high blood pressure that their condition has not shown any improvement, nor their quality of life. Instead, they have to deal with side effects and drugs that are expensive to maintain.

Spice up your life

In a published study featured in the Journal of Medicine, it was revealed that common spices can protect from heart disease and the deterioration brought about by aging. In the said study, researchers discovered a connection between the phenol content of certain herbs and spices and their capacity to prevent glycation and formation of AGE compounds that are responsible for premature aging and heart disease.

As a way to manage your blood pressure, herbs and spices are a fantastic way to increase the medicinal value of your food. Below are some herbs and spices you may have been enjoying with no idea as to their value:

1. Garlic - Garlic contains allicin, a substance which has antibacterial, antioxidant, lipid lowering and anti-hypertension properties. In a pilot study made at Clinical Research Center of New Orleans on whether garlic could lower blood pressure, nine patients with severe hypertension were given a garlic preparation containing 1.3 % allicin. Sitting blood pressure fell with a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure only five to 14 hours after the dose. Moreover, it was proven in a 2009 study that fresh garlic has more potent cardio-protective properties than processed garlic.

2. Cinnamon - Cinnamon not only prevents heart disease, it can also prevent diabetes. The Center for Applied Health Sciences in Ohio conducted a study of 22 subjects, half of which were given a 250mg of water soluble cinnamon daily while the other half were given placebo. It was discovered that those who drank cinnamon had a 13 to 23 percent increase in antioxidants connected with lowering blood sugar levels.

3. Onions - Onions contain quercetin, an antioxidant flavonol found to prevent heart disease and stroke. In a research study published in the Journal of Nutrition, subjects with hypertension experienced a decrease in their blood pressure by 7mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic as opposed to those who were taking placebo.

4. Olives - This herb is a significant part of the Mediterranean diet, recognized to be one of the healthiest in the world. Oil made from olives has been found to reduce blood pressure. In a study conducted on the importance of olive oil, Dr. L. Aldo Ferrara, Associate Professor at the Frederico II University of Naples in Italy discovered that the daily use of 40 grams of olive oil reduced the dosage of blood pressure medication in hypertensive patients by about 50 percent. Polyphenols in extra-virgin olive oil was credited for the significant reduction of blood pressure.

5. Oregano - This herb contains the compound carvacrol which has been proven to be effective against blood pressure. In a study conducted on animal subjects, by researchers from Eskisehir Osmangazi University in Turkey, carvacrol was found to reduce heart rate, mean arterial pressure as well as the systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

6. Hawthorn - This herb has been traditionally used to treat high blood pressure. In one study conducted in Reading, UK, 79 type-2 diabetic patients were randomized to receive 1200 mg of hawthorn extract while another group received medication for high blood pressure. Results revealed that patients taking hawthorn by the end of the 16th week showed a reduction in their mean diastolic pressure.

7. Cardamom- In one study published in the Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 20 subjects newly diagnosed with primary hypertension were administered 3 g of cardamom powder. After the end of the 3 months, all the subjects experienced feelings of well-being without any side effects. Moreover, the study was able to demonstrate that blood pressure was effectively reduced. It also improved antioxidant status while breaking down blood clots without significantly altering blood lipids and fibrinogen levels.

Taking advantage of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of spices and herbs is an excellent way to boost your body's health. Herbs have low calorie content, increase the medicinal value of your food and allow you to use natural forms of lowering blood pressure. Mix them up with your soups, salads, fish and meat and vegetable dishes. It's a healthier and cheaper alternative to keeping bottles of prescription drugs and synthetic supplements.

Heart healthy food that lowers blood pressure

The foods you eat bring pleasure to your palate and provide your body with powerful healing substances. Most people probably never consider that their morning grapefruit protects their blood vessels or that eating a handful of raw almonds daily can protect them from cancer. Certain heart-healthy foods have a reputation as natural cures to lower blood pressure, reduce symptoms of plaque and improve cardio fitness.

Animal proteins

Animal proteins like fresh fish and seafood are high in omega 3 oils, monounsaturated fats and calcium; all of these are helpful in reducing the risk of heart attack and managing high blood pressure problems.

Dr. Liz Applegate, a nationally renowned expert on nutrition and fitness, has created a list of 22 heart-smart foods including clams and salmon, two animal proteins low in fat and calories and high in omega 3 oils and sterols. Clams, in particular, help the body resist the symptoms of plaque buildup. Salmon is high in monounsaturated fats and calcium, both helpful in keeping cholesterol plaque at bay and reducing the risk of heart attack.

Olive oil

Studies of women with high blood pressure who were placed on a diet rich in olive oil for one month showed a marked reduction in their blood pressure levels.

Raw milk cheese

Research indicates that people who have adequate calcium consumption tend to have more luck controlling their blood pressure levels. Raw milk cheeses are high in calcium and low in sodium, making them an excellent food to help with high blood pressure problems.

Vegetables

Corn is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamin B, which protect the arteries and reduce artherosclerosis.

Onions and avocados prevent LDL or bad cholesterol from damaging blood vessel walls.

Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a potent antioxidant that has produced significant results in lowering blood pressure in patients participating in an Israeli study conducted in 2006.

Garlic's natural anti-inflammatory properties may prevent blood clots and improve overall cardio fitness.

Celery is high in vital nutrients and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, all necessary components in foods that lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack. Eating the entire plant benefits the cardiovascular system.

Choose only organic vegetables and fruits to avoid pesticides and hidden genetically modified plants that may not benefit your heart or your health.

Fresh fruits

Loaded with pectin, a natural fiber that binds to cholesterol and toxins in the blood, apples can clear the blood and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as much as 10 percent over a six-week period, notes Applegate.

Oranges and lemons are high in potassium and fruit pectin. Both aid the body's regulation of blood pressure and reduce cholesterol plaque from arteries.

Grapefruit supplies vitamin C, pectin, folic acid and lycopene, which help prevent symptoms of plaque by flushing LDL cholesterol from arteries and lessen high blood pressure problems.

Beans, legumes and whole grains

Both soluble and insoluble fiber are important for maintaining arterial integrity and controlling high blood pressure problems. Most beans provide soluble fiber, which is high in vitamin B and folic acid helping to reduce plaque and lower blood pressure. Whole grains like oats and oat bran flush unhealthy plaque from the system further protecting against the risk of heart attack and improving cardio fitness.

Chocolate

About 1/2 oz. of dark chocolate daily protects the heart and maintains blood pressure at normal levels. Rich in phenols, chocolate is now on the heart-smart menu for its nutrient-rich contribution that keeps arteries healthy.

Special Diet Is as Effective as Drugs for Blood Pressure, Study Finds

A diet low in fat and rich in fruits and vegetables has been found for the first time to lower blood pressure quickly and as effectively as drugs, a new multicenter study has shown.
The researchers said that many people who now must take medication to control their blood pressure could do so with the diet and without the drugs, which have unwanted side effects.
Americans spend billions of dollars a year on blood pressure medications, said Dr. Edward Rocella, a hypertension specialist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
The new study, described yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans, suggests that ''one diet may do it all'' -- help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and many cancers, said Dr. Denise Simons-Morton, leader of the Prevention Scientific Research Group at the heart institute, one of the study's sponsors.
The new study tested the effects of dietary changes in 459 adults at six medical centers. All had systolic blood pressures (the pressure when the heart beats) of less than 160 millimeters of mercury and diastolic pressures (the pressure when the heart rests) of 80 to 95 millimeters. About half were women, and nearly 60 percent were blacks, who have a higher rate of hypertension than whites. High blood pressure was defined as a pressure of 140 over 90 or higher.
Participants were randomly divided into three groups. One ate a diet similar to what the average American adult now eats. A second group's diet was high in fruits and vegetables, with all other items remaining the same. The third group got a ''combination'' diet low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol but high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. Total fats made up 27 percent of the participants' daily calories and saturated fats 6 percent, whereas in the average American diet fat makes up 34 percent of calories, with about 13 percent from saturated fats. All three diets contained a moderate amount of sodium and alcohol.
The combination diet worked best. It reduced systolic blood pressure within two weeks by an average of 5.5 millimeters and diastolic pressure by an average of 3 millimeters of mercury. The diet that was high in just fruits and vegetables also proved beneficial, but less so. It reduced systolic pressures by an average of 2.8 millimeters and diastolic by 1.1 millimeters. Both reductions were medically significant.
For those participants with hypertension, the combination diet was especially effective, lowering systolic pressure by 11.4 millimeters and diastolic by 5.5 millimeters, which is as good or better than reductions achieved with medication.
Dr. Simon-Morton said the amount of fruits and vegetables in the two diets -- nine to 10 standard servings -- could actually be achieved by eating two American-sized portions at each of three meals and one fruit or vegetable as a snack each day. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products are rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium and calcium that other studies have indicated can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.
The study was conducted at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., serving as coordinator.

Physical fitness may reduce hypertension risk in people with family history

If your parents have a history of high blood pressure, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing the disease with moderate exercise and increased cardiovascular fitness, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension.

 

In a study of more than 6,000 people, those who had a parent with high blood pressure but were highly fit had a 34 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure themselves, compared to those with a low-fitness level who had the same parental history.

 

“Understanding the roles that family history and fitness play in chronic diseases is critically important,” said Robin P. Shook, M.S., study lead author and a doctoral graduate student in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. “The results of this study send a very practical message, which is that even a very realistic, moderate amount of exercise — which we define as brisk walking for 150 minutes per week — can provide a huge health benefit, particularly to people predisposed to hypertension because of their family history.”

 

Previous research indicates that parental history accounts for about 35 percent to 65 percent of the variability in blood pressure among offspring, with varying levels of risk based on which parent developed it and the age of onset.

 

Researchers followed a group of 6,278 predominantly Caucasian adults 20- to 80-years-old for an average 4.7 years. The participants were patients of the Cooper Clinic, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventive medicine, research and education in Dallas. Thirty-three percent of participants reported that a parent had hypertension.

 

When the study began, all participants were healthy, reported no physician diagnosis of hypertension, and achieved an exercise test score of at least 85 percent of their age-predicted maximal heart rate. Researchers determined participants’ cardiorespiratory fitness using a maximal treadmill exercise test.

 

During the study, 1,545 participants reported they had developed hypertension.

Researchers found that:

• Combining those with and without a family history of high blood pressure, high levels of fitness were associated with a 42 percent lower risk of developing hypertension, and moderate levels of fitness with a 26 percent lower risk.
• People with both a low level of fitness and a parent with hypertension had a 70 percent higher risk for developing hypertension compared with highly fit people with no parental history.
• Those with a high level of fitness and a parent with hypertension experienced only a 16 percent higher risk of developing hypertension compared to those who were fit and had no parental history.

“The correlation between fitness levels, parental history and risk are impossible to ignore,” Shook said. “This awareness can serve the clinician and the patient, as they work together to find effective and reasonable ways to avoid the diseases that have affected their family members — in some cases, for generations.”

 

The research findings may not apply to all people because the majority of the study participants were relatively fit, well-educated, middle to upper class white men.

 

The findings support the American Heart Association’s recommendations of moderately intense physical activity, such as brisk walking, for 30 minutes or longer at least five days a week.

 

Co-authors are Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D.; Xumei Sui, M.D., M.P.H.; Vivek Prasad, M.B.B.S.; Steven P. Hooker, Ph.D.; Timothy S. Church, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. and Steven N. Blair, P.E.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

 

The National Institutes of Health and an unrestricted research grant from The Coca-Cola Company funded the study.

Doctors sometimes over-treat blood pressure: study

A new study suggests veterans hospitals are following guidelines when it comes to treating patients with diabetes and high blood pressure -- but some diabetics with healthy readings may also be getting intensive blood pressure treatment that won't do them much good.
"Good control of blood pressure is important for decreasing bad outcomes for patients (with diabetes), such as heart attacks and kidney disease," said Dr. Eve Kerr, the study's lead author from the Department of Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan.
Doctors have gotten very good at making sure everyone at risk gets treated with blood pressure medications, she added. But some patients who needed blood pressure medications to begin with might end up not needing them later on.
"Sometimes when blood pressure gets too low, it's okay to back off," Kerr told Reuters Health.
Her team examined the medical records of close to one million diabetes patients treated at VA medical centers and outpatient clinics.
The vast majority of patients age 18 to 75 -- 94 percent -- either had normal blood pressure or were getting high blood pressure treated according to guidelines.
That means most diabetic veterans are getting the help they need when it comes to high blood pressure monitoring and treatment. But although under-treating blood pressure may not have been a big problem in the VA group, over-treatment seemed to be at least as common, if not more so, the researchers found.
More than one-third of patients treated at the VA with a blood pressure below 130/65 mm Hg were on at least three blood pressure lowering drugs, or were having their drug regimen increased. That was equal to eight percent of all diabetic veterans.
High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90 mm Hg or higher, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Depending on the hospital, between three and 20 percent of diabetic veterans were possibly being over-treated with blood pressure medications, Kerr and her colleagues reported Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Not only might those drugs be unnecessary, but they could cause problems for patients as well, researchers said.
"You don't want to put patients on medications unnecessarily, because there's risks with any medication -- whether it's a nuisance risk of a dry mouth or it could be potentially more serious, like making your blood pressure too low and having you more at risk for falls," said Eileen Handberg, a cardiology researcher from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
"You don't want to treat someone's blood pressure to the point that they're weak and dizzy because their blood pressure is too low," Handberg, who wrote a commentary published with the study, told Reuters Health.
She said guidelines don't currently set a lower limit for recommended blood pressure in diabetic patients -- and because of that, it's hard to say doctors in this study were doing anything wrong when they prescribed more blood pressure lowering drugs to people who might not have needed them.
Still, Handberg added, "There is a lot of conversation about, maybe lower isn't always better."
One limitation of the new study is that it can't show whether patients were actually harmed by their blood pressure getting too low, said Dr. Franz Messerli, director of the high blood pressure program at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York.
"We don't know whether over-treatment or under-treatment increased heart attack, stroke or death, and that's obviously the important issue," Messerli, who wasn't involved in the research, told Reuters Health.
Kerr said the new study can help inform future guideline-makers about how diabetic patients are currently being treated -- and how often too much blood pressure treatment might be a concern.
Researchers agreed that patients who find their blood pressure numbers dropping very low or who have side effects such as dizziness should talk with their doctors about their blood pressure and the possibility they can ease off aggressive treatment.

9 in 10 Blacks With High Blood Pressure Have Early Heart Disease

High blood pressure is strongly associated with heart disease in black Americans, new research shows.
In the study, published online May 31 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers looked at 161 people who came to a single emergency department. More than 93 percent of the patients were black. None had symptoms or a history of heart disease but 94 percent had a history of high blood pressure, or "hypertension."
Echocardiograms (an image of the heart) revealed that nearly 91 percent of the patients had the beginnings of heart disease despite the lack of symptoms. Most of the patients with heart disease had diastolic dysfunction, which means that the heart had a reduced ability to pump blood to the body, brain and lungs.
"These results present a tremendous opportunity to screen for heart disease before it becomes symptomatic, especially in a population with high rates of hypertension," lead author Dr. Phillip Levy, of the department of emergency medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, said in a journal news release.
"If we can detect incipient [early] heart disease early, we have a better shot at treating it before it turns into a full-blown health emergency. Our study is also a strong reminder that emergency patients with chronic disease -- in this case, hypertension -- are generally a high-risk group," he noted.
Levy urged emergency physicians to address high blood pressure with patients. "Blood pressure readings are taken for every patient in the [emergency department]. By not just taking in new information but also acting on it, we can substantively contribute to . . . disease prevention efforts," he said.

Despite obesity rise, kids' blood pressure dipped

The rate of childhood obesity may have soared between the 1970s and 90s, but kids' blood pressure did not follow the same trend, a U.S. government study suggests.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that while the obesity rate among Louisiana children nearly tripled between 1974 and 1993, their blood pressure actually improved a bit.

Among nearly 11,500 children and teens assessed over those 20 years, the rate of obesity rose from 6 percent to 17 percent.
But their blood pressure, on average, remained fairly stable. And far fewer children than expected actually had high blood pressure by 1993: about 4 percent of boys and 6 percent of girls.
By comparison, those numbers were about 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively, in 1974.
None of that means that obesity is harmless to kids, said lead researcher David S. Freedman, of the CDC's division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity.
"Maybe the biggest problem is that obese children usually become obese adults," said Freedman. Past research, he noted, has found that about 75 percent of obese kids are obese as adults as well.
And at that point, obesity carries an increased risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
Height related to blood pressure
In the U.S., obesity -- in adults and kids, alike -- had its biggest surge between the 1970s and 90s, Freedman said.
Since then, things have leveled off. Among teenagers, for example, the obesity rate hovered between 18 and 20 percent in the decade between 1999 and 2008, according to another recent CDC study.
Blood pressure does tend to rise along with body mass index (BMI) -- a measure of weight in relation to height.
But studies have had mixed findings on whether the rise in childhood obesity spurred any increase in kids' blood pressure.
A problem with some past research, according to Freedman, is that it failed to account for the fact that kids have also gotten taller over the years. Height, Freedman said, is a stronger influence over kids' blood pressure than is weight.
"I think the take-home from this study is that we should not necessarily assume that increases in childhood obesity will be associated with changes in every risk factor," Freedman said.
Better nutrition?
So why didn't blood pressure rise along with kids' weight?
This study, published in the journal Pediatrics, cannot show the reason, Freedman said. In theory, he noted, it could have to do something with improvements in early childhood nutrition -- including rising breastfeeding rates. But that's speculation for now.
One area where kids are not doing better is type 2 diabetes.
Last month, a CDC study found that among U.S. teenagers, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and "pre-diabetes" -- a precursor to type 2 -- rose from 9 percent in 1999-2000, to 23 percent in 2007-2008.
Type 2 diabetes is closely associated with obesity. But the rise in teen diabetes came at a time when the obesity rate held steady. The CDC researchers were not sure of the reasons.
But they said the bottom line for parents and kids remains the same: Eat a balanced diet and get regular exercise.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed panel, recommends that children age 6 and older be screened for obesity. If a child is heavy, pediatricians should offer families behavioral counseling, or refer them to someone who can.