Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US, comprising 36% of all deaths annually and costs the medical system a staggering 475 billion dollars annually. Heart disease and stroke are the main diseases that make up this number. The causes of these lethal disease are many, but the most significant contributor by far is high blood pressure. Deemed the silent killer because many who have it have no symptoms at all and for many the first sign is a lethal heart attack or stroke.
High blood pressure is number one cause of cardiovascular disease in the US and the number one cause of stroke. It is the leading cause for physician visits and prescriptions written in the US.
A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered normal but research shows that the damage which leads to cardiovascular disease starts when blood pressure rises above 110/70. Additionally, there is an incremental increase in cardiovascular disease for every one point rise in blood pressure.1
One of the most effective ways to reduce this is still exercise. A combination of resistance training and aerobic exercise has been shown to lower systolic blood pressure (the top number) 10 – 15 points and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 5 – 10 points.2 Weight loss is good for another significant reduction in blood pressure when individuals lose 8 – 10 pounds regardless of starting weight. 2 The catch with the exercise is, it usually takes 60 minutes of moderate exercise, at least 5 days per week for it to be effective. 2
Another major problem for Americans is the enormous amount of sodium that we eat. Minimal daily requirements are 500 mg/day but the average intake is 5000 mg/day with a range of 3000 – 20,000 mg/day. Decreasing sodium to an intake of less than 2000 mg/day lowers all cardiovascular risk and works even better if you are getting adequate amounts of potassium and magnesium in your diet.3 In fact, increasing potassium intake lowers stroke risk even if blood pressure does not change. 3 Most Americans are deficient in both magnesium and potassium.
Finally increasing protein intake has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure. Specifically, consuming 20 – 30 grams of hydrolyzed whey protein per day has been shown to decrease blood pressure by as much as 11 points on the top number and 7 points on the bottom number. These are numbers that medication boast about and can be done through a simple diet change. 4
There are many things we can do to reverse or prevent the sometimes silent but deadly disease of high blood pressure. An easy way to start is to begin the day with a fruit smoothie with 30 grams of hydrolyzed whey protein which can be purchased at any health food store. Add ½ of cup of low fat yogurt, a good source of calcium, potassium, and magnesium and fruits such as bananas which are high in potassium and magnesium. Nuts, seeds, and beans are also very high in these valuable nutrients.
If you want to get really serious about lowering blood pressure and actually getting off medication all together, we are doing just that with patients in the anti-aging world. We are now offering spectracell™ testing which is a specialized white blood cell analysis of nutrients which gives a much better picture of your nutritional status than any traditional blood test. Many with high blood pressure have multiple nutritional deficiencies or metabolic disorders which, when corrected and combined with diet and exercise, have been shown to reduce blood pressure enough to get patients off of medications completely.5 The test can also help in other areas such as high cholesterol and blood sugar, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. If you’re interested in this simple blood test, call our office today for the details. Some insurance companies are now covering a portion the cost of the test.
Until next time, stay healthy and live well… Dr. Mike
. 1. J of Am Soc of Hypertension. 2010;4:255
2. Circ 1990; 81: 1560
3. Annals IM 1991; 115: 753-9;
4. J Clin Hypertens 2006; 8: 775
5. M.C. Houston et al: Progress in Cardiovascular Disease 52 (2009) 61–94
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