It’s called the silent killer and it is deadly. One billion people are affected worldwide, with that number projected to increase to 1.5 billion by the year 2025. What is it? Hypertension.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is known as the silent killer because often people don’t have obvious symptoms of the disease until irreparable damage has been done to major organs. High blood pressure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and is a leading cause of stroke and kidney failure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure |
A recent study looked at the global impact of hypertension and found alarming numbers of the disease worldwide. In the United States, one in three adults have hypertension, as does 38 per cent of the adult population in England.
Hypertension is also no longer relegated to Western countries; large numbers of people are affected with hypertension in many African and Asian nations. In China, one in four adults have hypertension, as do adults in Ghana and South Africa.
A sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, smoking and having poor dietary habits, especially a high sodium intake, are all risk factors for hypertension. These are referred to as modifiable risk factors, meaning these are risk factors that people can control and change.
There are also non-modifiable risk factors including age (risk increases over the age of 55), family history (having one or more first degree relatives with hypertension) and ethnicity.
While some risk factors cannot be controlled, many others can and it is imperative that people start to take control over their daily physical activity, tobacco use and dietary habits.
Cutting back on sodium intake is often cited as the primary dietary change to help control hypertension. While it is important – a study recently published by the British Medical Journal showed that decreasing sodium intake could result in as much as a 25 per cent reduction in a cardiovascular event – it is not the only nutrient of prime importance. While sodium raises blood pressure and potassium lowers it, the impact of potassium on lowering blood pressure is often overlooked.
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (also known as the DASH diet) were two studies conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in the United States. The premise of the DASH diet is that the most effective way to lower blood pressure is through a multi-pronged approach, including high potassium intake, and not just a focus on lowering sodium intake.
The DASH diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products. An overall low fat intake, nuts and fish are also part of the eating plan. Overall, the diet is high in potassium, magnesium and calcium, nutrients that are essential to help control blood pressure.
The diet is also high in fibre. The impact of the diet was so dramatic that after only two weeks, study participants had significant decreases in blood pressure. In fact, the reduction in blood pressure seen in subjects with mild hypertension who followed the DASH diet was as effective as those taking a low-dose medication.
To help prevent or control hypertension, you should focus on making changes that you have control over: increase your physical activity, quit smoking, eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, switch to whole grains and include low fat dairy products as part of your diet.
Where’s the potassium?
These foods are all good sources of potassium:
Potato and sweet potato
Spinach
Zucchini
Tomato
Kale
Mushrooms
Banana
Apricots
Orange
Cantaloupe
Apple
Soybeans
Lentils
Kidney beans
Almonds
Walnuts
Milk and yogurt
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