re: Late night thread: best diets/workouts to lower BP

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Eliminate sodium intake. 

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Gong.

I guess I'm going to have to do everyone's homework tonight. Back with links.

Eta:
A start from Scientific American:

LINK

quote:

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This week a meta-analysis of seven studies involving a total of 6,250 subjects in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure. In May European researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that the less sodium that study subjects excreted in their urine—an excellent measure of prior consumption—the greater their risk was of dying from heart disease. These findings call into question the common wisdom that excess salt is bad for you, but the evidence linking salt to heart disease has always been tenuous.

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Time: salt doesn't cause high blood pressure

The problem is, people who tend to eat shitty also eat a lot of salt. But it isn't the salt itself causing HBP in most people. As is so often the case in nutritional "science," people have jumped on correlation without analyzing scientifically to get anywhere near causation.


Read up on what insulin spikes do to your heart. Cut sugar in all forms. Here's a decent list of BP lowering foods. (Tip: Add black pepper to your turmeric.)

foods to lower BP

Watch your electrolyte levels. Eat foods naturally high in potassium and magnesium. Eat lots of avocados and green leafy stuff + cruciferous vegetables and sprouts--broccoli sprouts are awesome and easy to grow yourself. Brazil nuts are good Mg and selenium.

I get my blood sugar, BP, electrolyte levels etc checked at least every other week due to my Hodgkin's treatment, so I can track how even small dietary changes affect things. It's pretty amazing to see (cancer bonus!)