Foods that Lower Blood Pressure

Could you be one of the Amercans who have high blood pressure and don't know it? Unlike most diseases, high blood pressure has no symptoms. Therefore, it is often called the silent killer. Approximately 73 million or 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure. Unfortunately, as many as 1 out 3 of them don't even know it. If your blood pressre is at or above 140/90, it"s considered high. If you don't have high blood pressure, most people get it eventually. If you don't high blood pressure by the age of 55, you have a 90% of developing it.

In 90% of the cases the cause for high blood pressure is unknown. However, there are certain risk factors that make some people more prone than others. These risk factors are:

• Age - As we age, the likelihood of high blood pressure increases.
• Race - African Americans are more at risk than Caucasions.
• Socioeconomic status - Less edcated and lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to develop it.
• Family history of high blood pressure
• Men have a greater risk than women.
• Obesity - Obese individuals are 2 to 6 times more likely to develop high blood pressure. Apple-shaped bodies are more prone than pear-shaped bodies.
• Sodium sensitivity - In some people, blood pressure increases with salt intake.
• Alcohol - Drinking more than 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol increase blood pressure in some people.
• Birth control pills
• Lack of exercise or a sedentary lifestyle
• Drugs - Certain drugs can increase blood pressure.
• Smoking - Although it doesn't cause high blood pressure directly, smoking increases the risk of heart disease. It  damages blood vessel walls and speeds up the development of atherosclerosis.

Considering many of these factors are controllable, you can reduce your blood pressure levels with lifestyle changes too.

If high blood pressure remains uncontrolled, it can increase the risk for other diseases. These diseases are:

• Heart failure
• Vascular disease
• Kidney failure
• Strokes

Since obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase high blood pressure, our lifestyle can impact it. Therefore, diet and exercise is important. Furthermore, in addition to diet, the types of food we eat can affect blood pressure. Certain minerals, bioflavonoids, cartenoids, and phytonutrients can lower our blood pressure naturally. For instance, research has shown that calcium can cause a signficant decrease in systolic blood pressure. Other blood pressure-lowering foods are:

• Skim milk - Skim milk has calcium and vitamin D. It can help reduce blood pressure by up to ten percent.
• Calcium rich foods - Sardines, salmon, nuts, unsalted sunflower seeds, dark green leafy vegetables.
• Magnesium rich foods - Beans, spinach, figs, yellow corn, whole grains, almonds, apples. Research has found that eating one or more servings of whole grains can reduce the risk for high blood pressure. During one ten-year study, women who claimed to eat at least four daily servings of whole grains reduced their liklihood of getting high blood pressure by 23%.
• Potassium rrich foods - Bananas, soybeans, oranges, watermelon, spinach, prunes
• Fiber rich foods - Oat bran, fruits, vegetables
• Dark chocolate - The flavenoids in dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure.
• Citrus fruits - Contain vitamin C, phytonutrients, and bioflavonoids.
• Pineapple
• Celery - Research has shown that eating as few as four stalks can lower blood pressure.
• Eat a low salt, low sodium diet. People should consume no more than 2.4 grams or 2,400 miligrams of salt/sodium per day. Even less salt/sodium is better. Research has shown consuming less than 1,500 mg. has blood pressure-lowering benefits.
• Avoid sugar - Sugar elevates blood pressure.
• Omega-3 rich foods - Oily fish, flaxseed,
• Garlic - Just one clove a day can have blood pressure lowering benefits.
• Onions - Since the onion is a relative of garlic, it could explain the blood pressure lowering benefits.
• Broccoli
• Carrots - Compounds in carrots can lower blood pressure.
• Tomatoes - Contains gamma-amino butyric acid
• Folic acid - Folic acid is also known as B9. The RDI for folic acid is 400 micrograms per day. Some foods with with high levels of folic acid include: certain enriched breakfast cereals, sunflower seeds, blackeyed peas. beans, peanut butter, asparagus, spinach, leafy greens, grapes, raisins, and figs.
• Spices - Fennel, oregano,saffron, basil, and tarragon all have active ingredients that lower blood pressure.
• Drinking green tea, oolong tea, hibiscus tea, and hawthorne tea can lower blood pressure.

High blood pressure is nothing to play around with. Furthermore, when high blood pressure exists with other risk factors like obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, you are a walking time bomb. Just a few statistics to think about when it comes to high blood pressure are:

• High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. Each year, high blood pressure causes 25,000 new cases of kidney failure in the United States.
• High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stokes. In fact, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure are seven times more likely to suffer a stroke compared to those with controlled blood pressure. Strokes are the number three cause of death in the United States. Even if you survive a stroke, approximately 40% of stroke victims have moderate to severe impairments requiring special care while 10% require long-term care in a nursing home or other facility.
• High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder, damages the vascular system, and increases the risk of heart attacks.

These are scarey statistics. Fortunately, although some causes of high blood pressure are uncontrollable, others are controllable. Consequently, if you want to live longer and avoid the disabling effects of high blood pressure, knowledge and lifestyle changes are the key.