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High Blood Pressure Disorder
by Maureen Keane
High blood pressure, or
hypertension, is a very difficult health disorder condition for a number of
It is very common, affecting
an estimated 24 percent of all American adults, about 43 million people.
Among older adults the percentage is even higher.
The affects of hypertension
on tissues can be devastating. Not only does it accelerate atherosclerosis,
but it is a leading cause of strokes, kidney disease, and congestive heart
Worst of all, hypertension
does all this damage silently. The victim feels no pain or discomfort.
Typically, there are no symptoms at all. When a victim does finally
experience difficulties, the disease has already severely damaged tissues
Hypertension is not a disease
but a disorder. Once it is established, it changes the structure of the
arterioles -- the small muscular arteries. The smooth muscle cells in the
arterial wall multiply and enlarge so that the walls become thicker and the
opening becomes smaller. They also contract, further constricting the opening.
Think of your arteries as a garden hose. When water comes out the end of the
hose, it continues on for an inch or two and then drops straight to the ground.
You can't water that bush at the other end of the garden with just a hose. For
that you need to attach a nozzle -- a tube that is narrower than the hose. When
the water goes through the constricted nozzle, it is under greater pressure. It
shoots out the end, easily reaching your bush ten feet away. And the narrower
you make your nozzle, the farther the water goes. Aim your nozzle at the ground
and it will move dirt and rocks with ease. It can also rip away part of your
lawn if you are not careful. When your arteries constrict, your blood behaves
like the water going through the nozzle.
If the pressure in your arteries
gets high enough, it too can rip things. In this case, endothelial cells. High
blood pressure can peel the lining off artery walls and otherwise inflict trauma
on these delicate cells. There is no clear-cut threshold of blood pressure above
which damage occurs. The detrimental effects of hypertension increase
continuously as pressure increases.
It is very clear that diet
affects blood pressure. Vegetarians, for example, tend to have lower blood
pressures than nonvegetarians. When a group of people move from an area that has
a low incidence of high blood pressure to one that has a high incidence of high
blood pressure, they gradually assume the blood pressure incidence of the
adopted area as they adopt the new diet.
Just how effective are diets in
controlling blood pressure? The American Heart Association Nutrition Committee
estimates that a reduction in diastolic blood pressure of just two millimeters
of mercury (mm Hg) could lower a person's stroke risk by as much as 15 percent
and lower heart disease risk by 6 percent.
Hypertension and Salt
A higher intake of salt is
related to higher blood pressure, and there is good evidence that certain people
with hypertension can lower their blood pressure by lowing their salt intake. If
you suffer from high blood pressure, ask your physician if you are salt
Americans eat much more salt
than they need, and since I strongly believe that too much of anything is never
a good idea, I recommend that everyone consume salt in moderation. A high intake
of sodium is associated with more health problems than just hypertension. For
the general population, the American Heart Association recommends that the
average daily consumption of salt not exceed six grams daily. The DASH (Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet below contains 7.5 grams in comparison to
the standard American diet, which averages 10 mg. This is not difficult to
achieve on a whole foods diet such as the Red Yeast Rice Diet since most salt is
invisible hidden inside of processed foods. When you avoid junk foods, you also
avoid excess salt.
The sodium found in salt is not
the only mineral implicated in hypertension. While Western diets contain too
much sodium and chloride, they also contain too little of the other electrolyte
minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Several studies have shown
that people who eat diets rich in potassium-containing foods tend to have lower
blood pressure, while other studies have found this association in diets rich in
calcium. Instead of blaming one mineral it might make more sense to consider
hypertension a result of mineral imbalance.
CONTINUED IN PART
The Dash Diet;
Hypertension, Stroke & Potassium;
Less Salt, Fewer Strokes
This article was
excerpted with permission from the book, The
Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol Solution, by
published by Adams Media Corp., Holbrook, MA.
Maureen Keane, is the best-selling author of
for Life, What
to Eat if you Have Cancer, and a
dozen other premier health titles. A former
student and instructor at Bastyr University,
she is a licensed nutritionist and a
respected member of the Society of
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