Controlling Your Blood Pressure Archive

Beets rarely rank high on anyone's list of most-loved vegetables. But here's a reason to give these ruby-red roots another try: beet juice may help lower blood pressure, according to a study in the February 2015 Hypertension.

Beets contain naturally high levels of nitrates, which your digestive system converts into nitric oxide. This compound relaxes and widens blood vessels, which, in turn, lowers blood pressure.

Some plastic bottles, food containers, and linings of cans contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that's been under close scrutiny because of its potential effects on human health. Most Americans have traces of BPA in their urine, and some research hints of a possible link between BPA exposure and cardiovascular disease. Now, a study in the September 2014 Hypertension finds that BPA exposure from cans may raise blood pressure.

Sixty older adults drank two servings of soymilk provided one of three ways: in two glass bottles (providing the least BPA), two cans (most BPA), or one glass bottle and one can. Two hours after participants drank from the cans, their urinary BPA levels were much higher than after they drank from two glass bottles. And their systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) was roughly 4.5 mm Hg higher after two cans versus two glass bottles.

A recent study in Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that people with mild high blood pressure and no symptoms of heart disease can still benefit from taking blood pressure medication.

When your blood pressure tips above 140/90 mm Hg, most doctors suggest medication—in addition to healthy diet and exercise. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death. What experts disagree on is how low you should shoot for once your blood pressure is clearly above the 140/90 threshold.

Q. My doctor recently put me on Tenormin because my blood pressure was getting high. Now, when I run or row, I can't get my heart rate much above 115 beats per minute even though my peak heart rate should be 136. Is the beta blocker keeping me from getting the full benefit of exercise?

A. Although your heart now beats more slowly when you run and row, rest assured that your heart, arteries, lungs, muscles, and the rest of you are getting the full benefit of exercise.

Are you getting enough calcium, potassium, and magnesium to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range?

Cutting back on salt is the first commandment in controlling high blood pressure, or hypertension. But managing your intake of other dietary minerals also appears to be key. "We're moving beyond just looking at sodium," says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Research from the landmark DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) trial and more recently the OmniHeart study has shed light on the synergy of different foods and the role of minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium in controlling blood pressure.

Potassium chloride salts are one option, but many people prefer herb and spice blends.

If you have high blood pressure, scaling back the sodium in your diet is a smart move. Excess sodium (a main component of salt) makes the body hold on to extra water, which can elevate blood pressure. And most of us consume more than double the limit of 1,500 milligrams per day of sodium recommended by the American Heart Association.