HYPERTENSION PREVENTION THROUGH DIET:

Hypertension also known as high blood pressure is when the pressure of the blood pumped through your arteries is higher than it should be. It arises due to high salt intake, moreover older age; race, family history, being overweight, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, stress and several other chronic conditions can give rise to high blood pressure.

The World Health Organization (WHO) rates hypertension as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide, with an estimated 1.56 billion adults predicted to have high blood pressure by 2025. Every year on May 17 World Hypertension Day is celebrated that aims to raise the awareness of the condition, and how it can be prevented and controlled. There are several approaches to prevent hypertension, among which most important is the consumption of healthy diet.

A recent research has shown that increasing the intake of certain vital nutrients could actually reduce the risks of hypertension. While a Balanced diet is the best way to address the intake of low nutrient levels.

A good physical activity can help to reduce your blood pressure levels, control your weight and can improve your mental health.

Keeping up to a healthy energy balance has also proven to be rational against high blood pressure levels in the body. You should know your physical activity level i.e. sedentary, light activity, moderate activity or very active. If your energy intake is higher than your physical activity level then surely you will increase your weight in no time, resulting in more fat absorption because of adipose tissues in the body leading towards higher risks of heart attack. Consider the following equation:

Energy balance =Calories in (Energy input)-Calories out (Energy output)

If you end up with zero at the end of the equation then you possess the perfect energy balance, means you won’t gain or lose weight.

If you end up with a positive number then you have achieved the right balance for weight gain.

On the contrary if you end up with a negative number then ultimately you have found the energy imbalance necessary for weight loss, but if losing weight is your goal then don’t worry.

If you are a high blood pressure patient then you should intake salt not more than 1500mg to 2400mg per day. The salt is an excellent binder of the water, so if you eat too much salt then the extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. The raised blood pressure through high salt intake can damage the arteries leading to your brain and heart, resulting in stroke and heart attack. Also too much salt puts an extra strain on the inside walls of the arteries and as a result arteries become narrow and insufficient transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles occurs.

Consume potassium rich foods such as bananas, potatoes, kidney beans, dried fruits since potassium helps in balancing the amount of sodium in the body, not getting enough can lead to higher sodium levels in blood. The filtration of blood through kidneys uses a precise or delicate balance of sodium and potassium. Consuming high amounts of salts rubbles or wrecks that balance, so by eating certain fruits you can restore your delicate balance.

Alcohol is strictly prohibited for heart patients since it can raise your blood pressure even if you don’t have hypertension.

People working on a DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) have come out to have profound effects on their health. It is a diet which focuses upon heart healthy foods that are low in fats, cholesterol, sodium and rich in nutrients, fibers and protein. Those foods may include the following:

·       Fruits (4-5 servings a day)

·       Vegetables (4-5 servings a day)

·       Whole grains (6-8 servings a day)

·       Low fat dairy products (2-3 servings a day)

·       Fish (6 or less servings per day)

·       Poultry (6 or less servings per day)

·       Nuts (4-5 servings a week)

The above is an example of recommended servings from each food group for people consuming 2,000 calories a day.

THE ROLE OF NURIENTS:

Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids act as depression fighters in the body. EPA and DHA supplementation reduces CVD (Cardio Vascular Disease) risk among people with an elevated cholesterol levels.

Consuming foods which are high in vitamin D such as fatty fish, orange juice, egg yolks etc can reduce the risk of hypertension up to 30% in an individual. Extra vitamin C also helps in lowering the high blood pressure in patients. For example, vitamin C may act as diuretic, causing the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body, which helps to relax the blood vessels, thereby lowering the blood pressure.

A new study shows that consuming one daily capsule of “Fruit flow”, a water soluble extract like lycopene has beneficial effects on blood pressure. Several studies show that Fruitflow contributes to a healthy blood flow which can last for 12-18 hours after a single dose. Moreover people who eat tomatoes daily have a low chance of heart disease because a good lycopene level helps in the reducing the thickness of cell walls, reduced oxidation of bad LDL cholesterol.

From the above literature we conclude that Hypertension is not an incurable disease but still needs a solemn attention and through the use and consumption of a proper diet particularly a DASH Diet, one can maintain a healthy lifestyle and skip the trouble of going to a doctor and paying high fee because it is always a headache.       



_Syed Hamza Ali

The writer is a solicitous undergraduate student at University of Karachi in the field of Food Science and Technology who firmly believes to provide the world with some promising healthcare solutions for the sustenance of a healthy life which we all deserve or tend to achieve.