Reduce your blood pressure with what?

Chocolate: Recent studies have shown that compounds in cocoa, called flavanols, reduce blood pressure via the formation of nitric oxide (NO) in the body.  NO is a signaling molecule in the body, which causes blood vessels to relax and open wider.  The people living on San Blas Island off Central America drink cocoa every day, as their main beverage, and have normal blood pressure regardless of age. Cocoa or chocolate has more protective flavanols if it has not been ‘Dutch processed’, so read labels carefully, and buy unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) or a dark chocolate bar with 70% cacao content.  You can sweeten the cocoa powder with xylitol, and do a favor to your teeth.  (Xylitol is a sweetener derived from plants that prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth.) A recent report from the University of L’Aquila in Italy showed that elderly people with mild cognitive impairment showed improvement with cocoa flavanols, as well as reductions in their blood pressure.

Beets and beet juice:  numerous recent studies have shown that drinking beet juice lowers blood pressure and improves athletic performance.  The nitrates in beets (also found in leafy green vegetables) are translated into nitric oxide in the body.  Blood vessels widen, allowing for more blood flow.  In addition, beet juice reduces the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity.  For example, test subjects used less oxygen while walking, reducing the effort it took to walk by 12%.  This could be helpful for the elderly, and those recovering from heart and lung problems.  When competitive male cyclists were given beet juice before a timed trial, they were able to improve their racing times by 3%. Since in the world of elite sports a 3% improvement is big, athletes are turning to beet juice, as well as tart cherry juice, with enthusiasm.  Beet juice and freeze-dried beet juice powder are widely available on the Internet – although fairly costly. 

Celery and celery seed:  these foods have a long history in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to treat fluid retention, arthritis, gout and other problems. Chinese medicine also recommends celery to treat high blood pressure.  A substance called phthalide in celery acts as a diuretic, and apparently causes an equal loss of both sodium and potassium, which is helpful in maintaining sodium-potassium balance in the blood.  It also works by relaxing smooth muscles lining blood vessel walls.  A study done at the University of Chicago in the 1990s showed that a celery extract given to laboratory rats lowered their blood pressure 12-14%. In humans, a comparable daily ‘dose’ of celery would be about 4 stalks.  There are numerous individual reports of people using celery for blood pressure, but no further studies on this question.  Perhaps this is because it is hard to get funding for natural substances.   Celery seed, used as a spice, comes from a different plant related to edible celery.  Like celery, it acts as a diuretic, promoting loss of excess fluid in the body.  It is also used as an anti-inflammatory food. Chefs suggest that you add celery seeds to soups, tomato dishes, salads and eggs.   Light toasting brings out a sweet flavor. 

-->

If you take medicines to bring down your blood pressure, don’t stop them.  Chocolate, beet juice and celery may help, but should be factored in gradually.  Daily exercise and the DASH Diet are also essential.  Talk to your doctor about your plans!

Sadja Greenwood, MD    back issues on this blog

Lists for Longevity

Back to school, Labor day: is it time to make lists and get organized? Here are ten suggestions from the August issue of Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter. Next week I’ll report on Dr Oz’s 10 simple habits that could help you live to 100.
1. Combining moderate regular exercise and mentally stimulating activities can help protect your memory as you age, according to a Mayo Clinic study.
2. Raisins, a handful eaten 3 times a day, can reduce blood pressure significantly in mildly hypertensive people according to study from the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center. This may be because raisins are high in potassium, and also in fiber and healthful anti-oxidants. There are opposing views on whether raisins promote or prevent tooth decay, so keep flossing.
3. Your waist to hip ratio can predict you risk of sudden cardiac death. Best measurements are under 0.82 for women and 0.92 for men. Use a tape measure.
4. Regular jogging, at a slow to average pace, increases longevity, according to the Copenhagen City Heart Study. (Be sure to check with your doctor before starting to jog, if you don’t do so currently).
5. Fiber may help to protect against heart disease and stroke, according to a Swedish study.
6.Switching from white rice to brown rice could reduce your risk of diabetes, according to a Harvard study. This is especially important for Asians if they eat a lot of white rice.
7. Skip sugar sweetened beverages to reduce your risk of heart attack, according to the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals study. No increased risk was found for diet sodas.
8. Eating a Mediterranean diet, already linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases, leads to a better health-related quality of life, according to Spanish research. This diet is high in vegetables, fruit, fish or poultry, whole grains, nuts and olive oil, with small amounts of low fat milk as yogurt. There is new evidence that olive oil may strengthen bones. The diet avoids red meat and dairy fat. Get a book on this way of eating – The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and Marion Nestle is a winner.
9. Low-fat dairy may lead to fewer strokes, according to a Swedish Study.
10. Any physical activity: formal exercise, gardening, housework and walking may lower the risk of Alzheimers’s disease, according to a study of older adults at Rush University.

These studies in the Tufts newsletter are a good reminder of what you already know about healthy living.

Here are my additional suggestions for people who watch television, home movies and sit at a desk for work. Invest in a minicycle or pedal exerciser. These small devices use no electricity and can fit under your desk or in a corner for storage. They keep your legs moving with mild but continuous exercise while you sit. On a table, they are also used to exercise the arms and shoulders. The Sunny health and fitness minicycle is about $57 and is available from Amazon and Overstock. You can also look at the Carex Pedal exerciser (lighter and about $45) and the Pedlar Pro #316 (about $34). Alternatively, consider a standing desk. Prolonged sitting (at work, in the car, watching TV) is not good for the metabolism. Several recent studies show that prolonged sitting increases mortality. You may be able to raise your desk on a sturdy brick pile until the desk-top is at elbow height, but if it is not stable, make or buy a standing desk. It takes a few tries to get used to a standing desk, but it is worth the effort in terms of leg strength and endurance. Finally, you can invest in a trek desk, which enables you to walk slowly on a treadmill while working on the computer, reading or thinking. There are manual treadmills that do not require electricity.

There’s a famous t-shirt that says “If it’s physical, it’s therapy.”

Sadja Greenwood MD, MPH back issues on this blog
Leave me a message, or a question, if you like. I'll answer, for sure.