Decrease Hypertension Risk by Increasing Folic Acid
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in every three adults in the United States have hypertension (high blood pressure), but only about 50% of those with hypertension have it under control.
A study published April 2012 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found folic acid intake to impact the development of hypertension.
Study participants included 4400 individuals between the ages of 18 – 30 years-old without high blood pressure. Over the following twenty years participant blood pressure was evaluated six times. Participants also completed three dietary history questionnaires. One questionnaire was completed at the start of the study, a second during the study, and the third and final dietary questionnaire at the study conclusion (20 years).
During the 20 year period, 989 individuals developed hypertension. Individuals consuming diets with the highest folate levels were 52% less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those with the lowest folic acid intake.
Serum folate measurements during the study confirmed the correlation between folic acid and high blood pressure development.
Some food sources of folate include:
Lower Blood Pressure by Trimming Your Waistline
Waist circumference has a direct relationship to high blood pressure and lipid (cholesterol) levels.
A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found the greater the Waist-to-Height Ratio the worse the lipid profile and hypertension in adolescents.
This particular study evaluated 4,104 ninth-grade students between the ages of 14 and 15 years-old during the 2009 – 2012 school year. Body mass index was used to classify waist measurements.
The greater the waist-to-height ratio, the greater the risk for poor lipid profiles and high blood pressure compared to those with normal body mass indexes and waist-to-height ratios.
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Better than Takeout: Frugal Asian Feasts for Vegans to Cook
This is a guest post provided by Elizabeth Baker. Elizabeth is on FrugalDad team, providing insights on frugality and savings. Her area of focus and interest deals with the intersection of food and frugality. She’s always asking the question, “how do I make healthy eating decisions without spending an arm and a leg?”
In this particular article Elizabeth discusses Asian foods and recipes. A word of caution if you deal with high blood pressure. . . Asian dishes can be high in sodium. For example, soy sauce contains 1006 mg of sodium per Tbsp. You may have to do some recipe modifications.
The following is the article provided by Elizabeth.
It’s always tough finding new meals to try as a vegan. Even worse, if you’re looking for food to cook that is both ethnic and vegan-friendly, you may just think you’re out of luck. Before you head to the nearest restaurant, however, remember that there are plenty of meals you can cook in the comfort of your own house for a fraction of the price. If you plan ahead, and look ahead for some online grocery discounts, you can enjoy some of these cheap and delicious Asian feasts to try making yourself.
Vegetable Fried Rice
Weight Loss Pills: Do they work?
I’ve been asked many times about the safety of taking a weight loss supplement (i.e. diet pill) when living with high blood pressure or taking blood pressure medication.
My answer doesn’t vary:
“I do not recommend diet pills – whether you have high blood pressure or not.
Many weight loss supplements contain “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients”, frequently in levels exceeding FDA recommendations. These ingredients include drugs not approved in the U.S. These substances impact blood pressure and anti-seizure medications, diuretics, along with drugs linked to suicide, depression, and cancer.”
Not only can weight loss supplements lead to negative health consequences, they don’t typically work.
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Treat Sleep Apnea to Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where there are abnormal stops (interruptions) in breathing or abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each stop (or pause) in breathing is called an apnea. This apnea can last anywhere from a few seconds to minutes and can occur repeatedly throughout the night.
Sleep apnea results in excessive daytime tiredness, impaired alertness, slower reaction time, vision problems, and behavioral effects (i.e. moodiness, belligerence, decreased attentiveness).
Increased Risk for Sleep Apnea
Here are a few characteristics that put you at increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea:
Excess weight – Excess fat deposits around the upper airway can obstruct breathing.
Large neck circumference – A neck circumference above 17 inches is linked to increased risk because the thicker neck may narrow the airway.
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What May Cause High Blood Pressure?
There are times when it is normal for the heart to beat harder, such as if you are out hiking and encounter a bear. Your blood pressure will jump so larger levels of oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood is sent through your system and you are able to react. All part of the flight or fight response.
When you are diagnosed with high blood pressure your blood pressure is not just high for limited periods of time. It is consistently elevated. This means the heart is constantly working harder than it should.
Here are 7 reasons your heart may be dealing with this increased workload:
1. Atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) – This may be caused by cholesterol deposits along arterial walls resulting in plaque buildup. Fibrosis or endothelial dysfunction may also result in narrower arteries.
When arteries narrow the heart has to pump harder (exert more force) to move blood throughout the system.
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