Love Your Heart and Learn to Lower Hypertension Naturally
Recent studies substantiate findings that natural food substances such as beetroot juice and hot peppers may significantly decrease blood pressure.
Research from the Queen Mary University of London reveals that the underlying cause of the blood pressure lowering benefits of beetroot is probably due to its nitrate content.
The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found that blood pressure was significantly lowered within 24 hours in healthy volunteers who drank beetroot juice, equally to the participants of the study who took inorganic nitrate tablets.
Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, noted that the randomised, crossover investigation was able to demonstrate that the nitrate found in beetroot juice was the cause of its beneficial effects upon cardiovascular health by increasing the levels of the gas nitric oxide in the circulation.
Researchers also found that only 250ml juice is needed to have this effect, less than amounts that have been previously researched. The trial furthermore noted that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study, the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate.
A previous study by the institute two years ago also found that drinking beetroot juice lowered blood pressure, and now they have demonstrated how it seems to work.
Similarly, the link between long term consumption of hot peppers and lowering hypertension has been attributed to increased nitric oxide.
In a recent animal study on capsaicin (the active ingredient in peppers like habaneros) the increased production of this signaling molecule nitric oxide led to decreased blood pressure in rats.
The study found that rats with high blood pressure benefited from a long-term diet rich in capsaicin, which gives the heat to hot peppers and starts a chemical sequence that relaxes blood vessels.
Scientific reviewers have deemed the research “welcome news” to people suffering hypertension who might now be able to benefit from a new ‘natural’ approach to decrease their blood pressure and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, one of the biggest killers in the western world.
Eating and juicing veggies, what could be easier?
Although there has been previous research on capsaicin yielding mixed results, those studies only looked at short-term effects. Long term, human trials are still needed, but the animal study mentioned is promising.
It is also interesting to note that approximately 20 percent of people in northeastern China have reported high blood pressure. However, in the southwest where hot peppers are a dietary staple, there is a significantly lower incidence, half in some places. Just some ‘food’ for thought…
Furthermore, using nitric oxide production as a mechanism for improving cardiovascular health and lowering blood pressure is employed in an Innovative Therapies formula: Restoration of Defective Nitric Oxide Synthesis.
The combination of natural substances in this formula; arginine, folate and trimethylglycine (TMG) is a potent formulation for enhancing nitric oxide synthesis. The addition of B12, B6, grapeseed extract and vitamin C provides additional power to reduce homocysteine levels and protect the delicate endothelium (lining of blood vessels) against oxidative stress.
Your emed healthcare practitioner may recommend this product to you if they feel you need to support cardiovascular function through improved vascular health. To see if this product is right for you, Emed recommends you complete a Genetic Test.
Restoration of defective nitric oxide synthesis formula may be helpful to reduce the risk associated with many atherogenic (arterial plaque forming) risk factors and may work in the same way as a glass of beetroot juice in lowering blood pressure.
There are many other natural remedies that can reduce blood pressure, prevent cardiovascular disease and combat the side effects of pharmaceutical interventions. Talk to your practitioner about which may be best suited to You.
Hopefully the results of these recent studies published in medical journals will help to pave the way for a more widely acknowledged natural approach to lowering blood pressure that ultimately may help reduce the currently massive burden of cardiovascular disease on the public health system.
Other Natural Blood Pressure Supplements include:
- Bioceuticals Cardiac Care
- BioCeuticals CardioBromaBP
- Emed’s Best CoQ10 Supplementation – Supplementation with CoQ10 has been consistently shown to reduce BP and the need for hypertensive medication
- Emed’s Best Magnesium – Remember, the heart is a muscle!
- Emed’s Best Fish Oils – Fish Oil (particularly the component DHA) has been shown to lower BP, reduce triglycerides, raise ‘healthy’ cholesterol (HDL), and reduce platelet aggregation
Purchase an Emed Consultation to see what supplementation is right for you.
Did You Know?
New Secret Weapon for Tour De France is Beetroot Juice!!
Winning margins in the Tour de France can be tight. Last year just 39 seconds separated the top two riders after more than 90 hours in the saddle.
When every second counts, riders do everything possible to gain a competitive advantage – from using aerodynamic carbon fibre bikes to the very latest in sports nutrition.
Now there could be a new, completely legal and rather surprising weapon in the armoury for riders aiming to shave vital seconds off their time: beetroot juice.
Research by the University of Exeter, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, has shown drinking the juice enables competitive-level cyclists to cut down the time it takes to ride a given distance.
This is the first study which has shown that beetroot juice can be effective in a simulated competition environment.
How does this work?
So we know that beetroot juice is a natural source of nitrate, and this is thought to be the active ingredient in affecting athlete’s performance.
The nitrate has two physiological effects.
Firstly, it widens blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and allowing more blood flow.
Secondly, it affects muscle tissue, reducing the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity. The combined effects have a significant impact on performing physical tasks, whether it involves low-intensity or high-intensity effort.
What Else Can I Do?
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine
Individuals with the “distressed” (Type D) personality profile and heart issues such as high blood pressure, may face a higher risk of future cardiovascular problems, according to a recent summary article published in the September 2010 American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
A detailed analysis of previous reports involving more than 6,000 patients found a strong association between the Type D personality and future cardiovascular issues among heart patients.
The personality classification system that identified “Type A” decades ago with traits such as competitiveness, a focus on achievement, and a sense of urgency and hostility, more recently defined Type D as a personality marked by chronic negative emotions, pessimism and social inhibition.
The Type D personality profile was determined using a brief 14-item questionnaire that measured social inhibition and overall mood. Patients responded to phrases such as, “I am a closed kind of person,” and “I often feel unhappy.”
Viola Spek, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a researcher at Tiburg University in the Netherlands commented that “Type D patients tend to experience increased levels of anxiety, irritation and depressed mood across situations and time, while not sharing these emotions with others because of fear of disapproval”.
Type D patients moreover appear to respond differently to cardiovascular stress. Type D is associated with differences in cortisol, a stress hormone that can temporarily increase blood pressure. It also may be related to elevated levels of inflammation.
In addition, heart patients with Type D personality may be less likely to get regular checkups or communicate effectively with their health care practitioners.
By identifying and managing these negative emotions, individuals with high blood pressure could perhaps improve cardiovascular outcomes.
Improve heart health with yoga
Studies have shown a correlation between practicing yoga and lowered blood pressure.
Mind-body therapies are considered an important lifestyle modification to improve cardiovascular health.
Scientists worldwide are now realising the importance of understanding the interaction between our genes, our lifestyle choices and our health. This is the study of DNA and gene expression. The science of “epigenetics”.
New scientific technologies backed by extensive medical research now make it possible to test genes that directly influence our health and nutrition, such as the genes responsible for our cardiovascular health.
By understanding which particular genes are influencing your hypertension, you can target your treatment.
If you know your genetic profile and what gene variants you have, then you are armed with a very powerful tool for maximising your health potential. This is real Preventative Care!
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