What foods reduce blood pressure: a diet with hypertension

Arterial hypertension( hypertension) is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system.Its main manifestation is a persistent increase in arterial pressure above the figures of 139 mm Hg.Art.For systolic and 89 mm Hg.Art.For diastolic.Practice shows that very many hypertensive patients are quite light-minded about this disease, even knowing about the terrible consequences to which it leads.

Table of contents: Complications of arterial hypertension Treatment of hypertension Pressure-reducing products

Complications of hypertension

Very often situations when the presence of hypertension is recognized only when complications arise.People live for years with high blood pressure, but without going to the doctor, they do not know about the impending catastrophe.However, on one unfortunate day, palpitation, headache, followed by the onset of chest pain, shortness of breath, and then loss of consciousness.Myocardial infarction is a very dangerous and almost never passing without a trace complication of hypertension.

The second consequence of the disease is a stroke.Usually, it occurs at the peak of the hypertensive crisis, when the arterial pressure "rolls over" for 200 mm Hg.Art.However, there are cases of strokes that occur against a background of very moderate disorders.This is the insidiousness of this complication, and this is the danger of neglecting hypertension.

Kidneys experience severe hypoxia( oxygen starvation) with every crisis.Sooner or later, their function is disrupted, leading to the development of renal failure against the background of the so-called "primarily wrinkled kidney."The worst scenario is also possible, when they stop working at the peak of blood pressure.

In addition to these most serious and acute complications, most hypertensive patients neglecting treatment experience visual disturbances( hypertensive retinopathy) and chronic heart failure.

The most dangerous consequence of this disease is the stratification of the aorta, the main vessel that exits directly from the heart.Penetration of blood between the layers of the wall of this powerful artery gradually leads to its rupture and the inevitable death of the patient.Fortunately, aortic dissection is relatively rare, but it is impossible to foresee who will have it.

Treatment of arterial hypertension

Immediately warn - once appearing, this disease will never go away.At present, there are no ways to permanently get rid of arterial hypertension.Even if the pressure after the measures taken is kept within the limits of the norm for quite a long time, there always comes a time when the body stops "holding" it, and a crisis sets in.

However, provided adequate treatment, hypertension can be controlled for many years.And not always there is a need for a constant intake of pills, especially at the very beginning of the disease.Sometimes it is enough just to bring the diet to certain indicators, start using products that help reduce the pressure, and exclude the fact that it increases.

Pressure reducing products

Unfortunately, no product is known to science, capable of lowering blood pressure, like a captopril tablet.However, the normalization of the diet can help the body monitor the state of the cardiovascular system.There are a number of products that improve fat metabolism, supplying the body with the microelements necessary for it, reducing the content of "bad" cholesterol( low density lipoprotein), increasing the production of serotonin and dopamine - neuroregulatory hormones that help to withstand stress.

Vegetable food

Scientists have shown that the condition of the cardiovascular system in vegetarians is much better than those who consume meat.The reason is the absence of cholesterol in plant foods.But it's not necessary to be a vegetarian to get all the "bonuses" of such a diet. It is enough to only consume half a kilogram of fruits and vegetables per day, among which there must necessarily be plants containing:

• potassium - apples, plums, apricots, peaches, gooseberries, mulberries, blueberries, dried apricots, raisins, bananas;
• magnesium - dark green leafy vegetables, nuts;
• polyunsaturated fatty acids - again nuts, avocados.

The consumption of fruits and vegetables provides the body with the necessary amount of dietary fiber, improving digestion and reducing absorption of cholesterol.

Experts recommend the use of vegetable oils containing omega-3 fatty acids, which contribute to the normalization of fat metabolism and prevent an increase in the level of "bad" cholesterol.The only exception is palm and coconut oil, containing those substances from which the body easily synthesizes low-density lipoproteins.

Cereals are another type of product that promotes normalization of pressure.Potassium contained in them, promotes the uninterrupted operation of the heart, and fiber helps to fight "bad" cholesterol and improves the absorption of glucose, preventing the development of diabetes.

Legumes contain large amounts of potassium, some vitamins, as well as vegetable protein, which is also necessary to maintain normal blood pressure.

Contrary to the general opinion to lean on seafood dieticians do not recommend.Usually they contain a large amount of iodine, the excess of which in food can lead to an increase in the activity of the thyroid gland.The result can be hyperthyroidism, in which arterial blood pressure rises very high.With respect to iodine, the rule "everything is good, that in moderation" should operate.

Animal food

Animal products are an ideal source of calcium and magnesium, the two macronutrients necessary to maintain normal blood pressure figures.In addition, only animal food contains a large number of B vitamins, as well as nicotinic acid, which directly participates in fat metabolism.Therefore, it is not recommended to completely exclude lean meat, chicken, eggs, dairy products from the ration.But from pork and lamb is worth abandoning.

Products not recommended for hypertension

There are a number of products whose use should be severely restricted or completely eliminated in hypertension.On the first place among them alcohol.There is a direct relationship between the volume of ethyl alcohol consumed and the figures of blood pressure.In other words, the more a person consumes alcohol, the higher his pressure.Excluding or reducing the use of alcoholic beverages to rare episodes, you can significantly improve the course of hypertension.

The "harmful" effect of caffeine on pressure is well known.Most of the hypertensive patients believe that coffee can significantly increase the numbers on the tonometer.However, only large doses of the drink have this effect.One cup of coffee a day does not change blood pressure in anyone, including hypertensive patients, but a double-triple dose may well increase it even in healthy people.

Table salt is the product that you need to limit for hypertension.It is sodium that has the greatest effect on the mechanisms of controlling blood pressure.Reducing the intake of table salt to 5 g / day helps to normalize not too high figures of blood pressure and make the hypertensive crisis more rare.Some experts recommend completely removing salt from the house, but this rule only works with a balanced diet in which there are sodium-containing foods.In practice, nobody ideally feeds, so you can consume salt, but in very small quantities.

Arterial hypertension can not be cured by products promoting pressure reduction.This disease requires a whole range of measures, including smoking cessation, bringing the body weight back to normal, and a healthy lifestyle in general.And although in most cases without tablets can not do, but with proper nutrition, you can reduce the pressure figures, and therefore reduce the dose of the drug or even refuse some of the medications.

Gennady Bozbey, ambulance doctor