BLOOD PRESSURE - SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS

Free radicals are implicated in hypertension, and antioxidants may help reverse it. How do they work? Antioxidants increase the production of nitric oxide(NO). The inner lining of the blood vessels (called the endothelium) uses NO to relax the surrounding smooth muscle. This relaxation widens the artery, thus improving blood flow and blood pressure.

Nutrients work best in concert; in other words, the whole is more powerful than the sum of its parts. But let's examine some of the nutrients that are especially relevant to balanced blood pressure.

Potassium/Sodium

Hypertension is rare in populations with low sodium intakes (below 1 teaspoon, or 50 mmol daily). Unfortunately, in developed societies, processed foods add plenty of "invisible" sodium to our diets.

But sodium alone isn't the problem it's the combination of too much sodium and too little potassium. When potassium is depleted, the body's cells gobble up the sodium to make up for the loss. We should be eating about five times more potassium than sodium (5:1). Instead, the typical Western diet includes half as much potassium as sodium (1:2).

 Isolated societies that eat natural foods and have virtually no hypertension consume more than 150 mmol of potassium daily and only 20 to 40 mmol of sodium per day. In contrast, a 1966 report in The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that the unhealthy potassium: sodium ratio in Western diets leads to retention of sodium and increased blood pressure.

 Salt-sensitive individuals tend to retain sodium and water, which increases blood pressure. Approximately 58 percent of hypertensive individuals are salt-sensitive, says Myron Weinberger, MD, director of the Hypertension Research Clinic at University of Indiana's School of Medicine. Groups more likely to be salt-sensitive include older adults, African Americans, or anyone related to a salt-sensitive person. Also, people who have more inflammation tend to be more salt-sensitive.

To prevent and treat hypertension, the Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 50 to 65 mmol of sodium, and a minimum of 120 mmol of potassium. Potassium-rich foods include potatoes with skin, bananas, milk, orange juice, tomato juice, cooked spinach, avocados, prunes, raisins, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and red beans.

Magnesium

Magnesium works with potassium to activate the sodium/potassium pump, which pumps potassium into, and sodium out of, the cells. Magnesium also widens the blood vessels. Several population studies have linked high magnesium intakes with lower blood pressure readings. This mineral, which is at least as important as calcium for bone health, is depleted during stress. Magnesium-rich foods include seafood, tofu, legumes, kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, Brazil nuts, and peanuts. Fruits and fruit juice, leafy green vegetables, and sunflower seeds are also good dietary sources of magnesium.

Calcium

Researchers have observed that calcium supplementation appears to reverse the blood-pressure-raising impact of salt, especially in salt-sensitive individuals. Dietary sources of calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines, canned salmon, hulled sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, black beans, tofu, wheat grass, barley grass, parsley, kale, spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens, kelp, and other green, leafy vegetables.

B Vitamins

A shortage of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 has been implicated in high homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a by-product of methionine, an amino acid. Homocysteine is naturally present in the human body. However, several studies suggest that high levels of homocysteine may increase the risk for heart and blood vessel damage damage that can lead to hypertension. A 2008 study in the European Journal of Medical Research found that hypertensive patients with kidney dysfunction have especially high homocysteine levels.

 Folic acid, in particular, relaxes blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow. One study featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the impact of folic acid on the blood pressure of more than 150,000 women. In one group of women, ages 27 to 46, those who consumed at least 800 mcg of folic acid daily had a 29 percent lower risk of hypertension than other women. In the other group of women, ages 47 to 70, those who got at least 800 mcg of folic acid daily saw a 13 percent lower risk of hypertension. Both groups of women got their folic acid through both diet and supplementation.

Folic acid is plentiful in beets, black-eyed peas, brewer's yeast, cabbage, eggs, dairy products, citrus fruits, most fish, soy flour, wheat germ, beef liver, soybeans, and dark-green, leafy vegetables. Vitamin B6 can be found in avocados, carrots, chicken, bananas, beans, meat, peas, spinach, sunflower seeds, walnuts, broccoli, brown rice, cantaloupe, and potatoes. Vitamin B12 is available in lamb kidneys and liver, liverwurst, clams, oysters, sardines, flounder, herring, mackerel, milk products, cheese, soy foods, sea vegetables, and alfalfa.

Essential Fatty Acids

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids help insulin attach to the cells so it can deliver glucose to them. However, most Americans consume an imbalanced ratio, with 20 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega 3s (20:1). Instead, we should get four times more omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6 fatty acids (4:1).

We know blood sugar balance and blood pressure are inextricably entwined. A recent trial investigated the impact of omega-3-rich fish oil supplements on insulin sensitivity in overweight individuals. After 60 days, researchers found a decrease in both insulin resistance and diastolic blood pressure.

 Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, fish oil, flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil. Cod, tuna, salmon, halibut, shark, and mackerel are especially good sources of omega-3s. Omega-6 fatty acids are available in corn, soybeans, vegetable oils, oils from seeds, beef, and milk.

Fiber

 Dietary fiber is the material in plants that the human digestive tract cannot break down. Water-soluble fibers help reduce blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and support balanced blood sugar levels. Insoluble fibers promote bowel regularity.

Nutritional experts recommend we consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber daily. Unfortunately, the typical Western diet provides only 8 to 15 grams of fiber each day. Low fiber intake has been associated with hypertension, along with diabetes, varicose veins, colon cancer, kidney stones, irritable bowel syndrome, and obesity.

A meta-analysis of 25 randomized, controlled trials featured in the Journal of Hypertension  examined the connection between dietary fiber and blood pressure. In all of these trials, consumption of dietary fiber was the only significant difference between the active groups and the control groups. Hypertensive patients who consumed more fiber showed a dramatic reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The authors of the meta-analysis cautioned that it may take at least eight weeks of increased fiber intake to reduce high blood pressure.

How does it work? Dietary fiber attaches to and helps remove LDL ("bad") cholesterol from the body. High LDL cholesterol levels can clog up the arteries, and these narrowing arteries lead to higher blood pressure. In addition, fiber promotes satiety, so people eat fewer calories and lose weight. And finally, fiber helps stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing down the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream. In these three ways, dietary fiber helps lower high blood pressure specifically and combat metabolic syndrome in general.

Fortunately, the foods that provide the most fiber also provide a wealth of antioxidants and other nutrients that support healthy blood pressure. These include legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Note: Add fiber to your diet gradually. If you add too much, too soon, you are likely to experience bloating, gas, and diarrhea. In addition, spread your fiber intake throughout the day. Consuming all your fiber at once may reduce the benefits and increase your discomfort.

Be sure to drink at least eight ounces of water with every high-fiber meal and snack. Sufficient amounts of water are critical to fiber's benefits.

Supplements Can Boost Success

Diet comes first. Although nutritional supplements can effectively support health, the food we eat on a day-to-day basis affects our health far more profoundly than anything we can buy in a bottle. In other words, if you typically eat carrot cake from the 7-11 for breakfast in the morning or a bag of chips from the vending machine for lunch, nutritional supplements are not going to make it right.

On the other hand, supplement users tend to be well-educated about nutrition and natural approaches to health. If you're taking the time to read this booklet, chances are good that you're not a habitual junk-food eater

If you want to prevent hypertension or lower your blood pressure, the following supplements have been carefully researched for their blood pressure-balancing benefits. Be sure to inform your doctor about your supplement usage, and never stop taking a medication without speaking with a qualified healthcare professional first.

Aged Garlic Extract

An herb in the Liliaceae family, garlic is a pungent-tasting and -smelling plant that is a delicious addition to almost any recipe. But besides flavor, garlic provides a host of health-promoting nutrients, such as thiamin, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, protein, vitamin C, germanium, and selenium.

Garlic has been promoted for its LDL-cholesterol-lowering properties, but it also demonstrates a mild blood-pressure-lowering effect. The German Commission E lists "hypertension" along with "arteriosclerosis" and "raised levels of cholesterol" among the indications and usage for garlic.

Aged garlic extract (AGE), in particular, appears to lower blood pressure by increasing the flexibility of the arteries and improving blood circulation. An antioxidant-rich sulfur compound called S-allylcysteine is abundant in AGE. A research study featured in the American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology investigated the effect of S-allylcysteine and AGE on subjects with kidney damage and high blood pressure. The authors attributed the blood pressure-lowering and kidney-protective effects of S-allylcysteine and AGE to their antioxidant properties. They also concluded that AGE "may be used to ameliorate hypertension and delay the progression of renal damage."

Other studies indicate that AGE also appears to reduce homocysteine levels. As discussed earlier, especially high levels of homocysteine are found in hypertensive patients with kidney dysfunction.

Why is AGE specifically, Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract a better choice than raw garlic or other garlic products? Let's consider the differences:

    Raw garlic provides many of the same benefits as AGE. However, it can upset the stomach, and its distinctive odor can become a social liability. High amounts of raw garlic can also decrease calcium levels in the blood and eradicate red blood cells, thereby causing anemia. It has also been linked to bleeding ulcers and a reduced red blood cell count.
    AGE appears to be more beneficial than raw garlic. A 2006 study showed a decrease in systolic blood pressure with the use of both raw garlic and AGE. However, AGE appeared to improve arterial flexibility, while raw garlic did not.
    Cooked garlic enhances any meal, but it provides only a fraction of the essential compounds found in AGE.
    Garlic oils combine a small amount of garlic with a large amount of vegetable oils. These products are also associated with garlic breath and body odor.
    Garlic products that promise to deliver allicin a key, health-promoting agent are also suspect. Allicin is a highly reactive compound that, when taken orally, disappears quickly in the body. In one study, researchers evaluated the allicin content of eight different garlic products from health food stores. Not even trace amounts of allicin were detected.

Other garlic products promise allicin potential. They provide an enzyme called alliinase, which transforms alliin (another garlic compound) into allicin. However, the pH balance in the stomach halts the transformation, so the allicin never gets produced.

A better choice is Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract, produced by Wakunaga of America Co., Ltd.  I recommend this aged garlic extract for a variety of reasons.

First, this product is made from only organically grown garlic bulbs that have not been exposed to pesticides, herbicides, or heavy metals. Organically grown foods are not only less toxic, they provide higher levels of antioxidants.

  Second, Kyolic garlic is aged at room temperature for 20 months. Through a proprietary aging process, the beneficial antioxidants in garlic are extracted and stabilized. One of these key antioxidants, S-allylcysteine, has a 98 percent absorption rate into the bloodstream. This is a remarkably high percentage of bioavailability.

 Third, Kyolic AGE is known as the "social garlic" because garlic odor along with unpleasant aftertaste have been eliminated. The compound allicin, responsible for garlic's distinctive odor, "fades out" during the aging process. In one study, researchers at Brown University School of Medicine investigated the impact of Kyolic garlic on 41 men between the ages of 32 to 68. Participants were given either nine 800-mg aged garlic extract capsules or a placebo daily. After six months, the groups switched, so the former placebo group took AGE for four months. Although this study focused on cholesterol levels, researchers also found a decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure associated with taking Kyolic. No adverse effects were reported.

 Finally, as of this writing, over 620 scientific research articles have been published about Kyolic's AGE in peer-reviewed medical journals. Indeed, this product's broad spectrum of effects has extensive support in the medical and scientific communities. Those documented include:

    Potent antioxidant activity
    Cancer preventative effects

Reduction of the major heart disease risk factors by:

    Lowering high blood pressure
    Lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and triglycerides
    Increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol
    Reducing homocysteine
    Thinning the blood

Increased immunity against:

    Bacteria
    Fungus (yeast)
    Viruses
    Improved stress adaptation
    Detoxification of heavy metals
    Improved liver protection

Natto

The prevalence of a soybean food called "natto" is said to contribute to the low rate of cardiovascular illness in Japan. Natto is a combination of boiled soybeans and the bacteria Bacillus subtilis natto. In Japan, natto is often mixed with rice and eaten for breakfast.

Derived from natto, nattokinase is a potent dietary enzyme. At the University of Chicago in 1980, researcher Hiroyuki Sumi discovered the blood-clot-busting activity of nattokinase. Like aspirin, nattokinase helps thin the blood. In addition, it appears to dissolve the tiny fibers (fibrin) that hold blood clots together. In fact, nattokinase's clot-dissolving properties have been compared to plasmin, a clot-dissolving enzyme naturally present in the bloodstream.

Natto also provides compounds called "angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors" (ACE). These compounds prevent angiotensin, a polypeptide hormone, from increasing water and salt retention in the body. In this way, natto protects against hypertension. Moreover, natto has been shown to decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

A study from Shizuoka, Japan, tested the impact of nattokinase on subjects with endothelial (blood-vessel wall) injuries. One group of models was given nattokinase three weeks before and three weeks following the injuries; the control group was not. At the end of the study, researchers found blood clots attached to the blood vessel walls in the control group. In contrast, a loosening of the clots was found in the nattokinase subjects. In other words, the nattokinase appeared to help clear the arteries for improved blood flow. Human studies from 1998 have shown that nattokinase significantly decrease blood pressure after just three hours.

Available in supplements, nattokinase is free of the strong, salty taste and cheese-like smell associated with natto, the food. I recommend the NSK-SD brand. In 2008, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in Hypertension Research involving 73 patients with high blood pressure demonstrated that NSK-SD significantly reduced blood pressure when compared to placebo.

While diet comes first, supplement users tend to be well-educated about nutrition and natural approaches to health.

Note: Nattokinase is not recommended for anyone taking warfarin, aspirin, or any other blood-thinning agent unless under a doctor's supervision. Its safety in children and pregnant or nursing women is not known.

Suntheanine

Suntheanine is an L-theanine product. An amino acid, L-theanine is abundant in green tea leaves. L-theanine has been shown in clinical studies to alleviate stress, boost relaxation, lower blood pressure, and even boost the anti-tumor properties of chemotherapy.

The impact of chronic stress on blood pressure has been widely documented. A 2007 clinical trial in Nagoya, Japan, challenged 12 participants with a mental arithmetic task in order to induce stress. Those who were taking L- theanine showed a reduction in physical signs of stress, such as increased heart rate and the release of cortisol, the "stress" hormone

Researchers aren't certain how L-theanine works. One theory is that this amino acid increases levels of the brain chemical gamma-aminobutryic acid, which has calming properties. It could also raise the levels of serotonin, a natural mood regulator, in the brain. Animal studies have shown that L-theanine reduces norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter) levels, which may lead to reduced blood pressure.

Make sure you choose your L-theanine source with care. A study from Iowa State University compared six L-theanine products. Five of those products contained high levels of D-theanine, a different amino acid that appears to block the absorption of L-theanine. Suntheanine was the sole product that provided pure L-theanine.

Combining Nutrients

Wakunaga has developed a product specifically for healthy blood pressure called Kyolic Formula 109. It provides AGE, nattokinase (NSK-SD) and Suntheanine. These three compounds work synergistically to help reduce cholesterol and homocysteine levels, promote healthy blood flow, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure. Kyolic Formula 109 contains no sodium, yeast, dairy, preservatives, gluten, or artificial flavors or colors.

Vitamin E

Also known as alpha-tocopherol, vitamin E is a powerful nutritional antioxidant. It also shows benefit for hypertensive patients. A study featured in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutritional Research involving 70 mildly hypertensive individuals looked at the impact of vitamin E supplementation. After 27 weeks, people taking vitamin E showed a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Another study in 2007 investigated the effects of vitamin E supplementation on hypertensive patients who had already had a heart attack. When vitamin E was added to their treatment protocols, the patients experienced lower blood pressure.

Vitamin E is available in corn oil, cottonseed oil, and peanut oil. Vitamin E is also present in almonds, hazelnuts, safflower nuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, wheat germ, whole-wheat flour, spinach, lettuce, onions, blackberries, apples, and pears.

Unfortunately, the typical Western diet provides only about one-tenth of the Institute of Medicine's recommendation of 1,000 mg of vitamin E daily. For that reason, supplementation is recommended.

Cayenne Pepper

We're more likely to think of cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum) as a way to enliven our cooking, but cayenne is also an excellent example of food as medicine. Cayenne provides a wealth of vitamins A and C, lutein, beta-carotene, bioflavonoids, and other phytochemicals that nurture and protect overall cardiovascular health.

Cayenne has been dubbed a "drain cleaner" because it lowers overall cholesterol and combats the buildup of plaque in the arteries. This herbal medicine works by widening the blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. Cayenne also protects against blood clots.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) is well-known for its cardiovascular benefits. Like aged garlic extract, vitamin E, and cayenne, hawthorn is a potent natural source of antioxidants.

A randomized, controlled trial at the University of Reading in England examined the effect of hawthorn on hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Individuals were given either a hawthorn extract or a placebo. The hawthorn group showed greater reductions in diastolic blood pressure than the placebo group. Furthermore, no herb-drug interaction was reported.

In another study at the University of Reading, researchers looked at the effect of hawthorn on 36 individuals with mild hypertension. Volunteers were randomly assigned to take either 600 mg of supplemental magnesium, 500 mg of hawthorn extract, a combination of magnesium and hawthorn, or a placebo. The hawthorn group showed a "promising reduction" in diastolic blood pressure, as well as decreased anxiety.