• Although no one knows quite why it should be, hypertension is much more common in fat people. One study of 10,940 hypertensive patients found that 60 per cent of them were overweight. Hypertension does, of course, occur in thin people but it is almost unknown in cultures where all the population is thin. Often, mild blood pressure can be treated simply by losing a stone or two. Certainly preventing obesity also helps prevent high blood pressure. This starts at the cradle. Breastfeeding exclusively for at least six months and then weaning on to unrefined, whole-foods rich in dietary fibre will prevent many children from becoming obese. It is during these rapid-growth early years that obesity sets in, mainly because of poor eating habits and even an addiction to sweet, refined foods. These habits are difficult to change later in life and almost inevitably produce obesity.
A study in California looked at twenty-five obese hypertensives and after only a twelve-week weight-reducing diet found a significant decrease in blood pressure to within the normal range. Furthermore, few (only about a quarter) of the subjects reduced to their ‘ideal’ body weight but the reduction they did achieve was enough to reduce their blood pressure to normal. They found that a 10-30 per cent reduction towards ideal weight was enough to lower blood pressure significantly. Interestingly, such losses in weight reduced the blood pressure of all the obese subjects whether or not they started out with high blood pressure.
• Several studies have suggested that salt added to food during cooking or at the table is responsible for much of the hypertension we see in the West. However, a great deal of salt (probably the majority) is added during food manufacture and processing and we have little direct control over this hidden salt (especially in cured and processed foods). This is a real danger. Get used to reading labels and avoiding pi ducts where salt comes high î the list (ingredients are listed in order of weight in the product Buy salt-free products if possible. Unfortunately, even drinking water can be very rich in sodium (salt). A Massachusetts study found that a particular town had a very high level of sodium in the drinking water. Even high-school students in this study had raised blood pressures, and it was found that the water they drank accounted for 40 per cent of the difference in total salt intake between these children and those of a neighboring town.
• When cutting down salt do it slowly over a month or two, first by not adding salt during cooking. Use a salt shaker with smaller holes for adding salt to food at the table, and over 6-8 weeks use less and less. Once again, prevention starts in the cradle. Discourage children from eating salty foods and wean them on to salt-free foods whenever possible. Research suggests that children have already acquired a taste for salt by the age of two.
Interestingly bound up with the salt story is potassium-another essential mineral. Potassium is vital for the transmission of messages in nerves, aids digestive enzymes, and is essential in muscle function. Sodium and potassium are intimately interlinked within and outside cells, and the balance has to be finely maintained if we are to remain healthy. A study at the London Hospital Medical School showed that potassium seemed to act as a shield against sodium-induced hypertension. In the first study sixteen people with mild hypertension and a group with normal blood pressure ate one diet for a twelve-week period, and then a different diet for the next twelve weeks. During the first twelve weeks both groups ate their normal diet plus sodium tablets. During the second period the normal diets were supplemented with potassium and they were asked to avoid salty foods and not to add salt.
The high-sodium diet produced a slow rise in blood pressure in both groups. But with potassium and a low-salt diet both systolic and diastolic pressures fell sharply and significantly in the hypertensive group-in contrast to an insignificant rise in the normal group! A month after the study ended both groups went back to normal eating. The hypertensive blood pressures shot back up again. This rise was explained by the researchers as due to the poor levels of potassium in their food rather than the marginal rise in sodium (salt). Other research found that if you have a family history of blood pressure you are especially likely to be sensitive to the blood-pressure-lowering effect of potassium. Such people develop the condition when the potassium in their diets falls below a certain essential level. Fruits and vegetables are among the best sources of potassium so this could be yet another advantage of a high-fibre diet. Particularly rich sources are potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, wheat germ, dates, chicken, salmon and halibut. A banana contains 350 mg potassium and only 1 mg sodium. A glass of pure orange juice contains 180 mg potassium and only 2 mg sodium.
*171/72/5*
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