Foods & supplements that lower high blood pressure and protect your heart....

Today's Post: Friday, 9-25-2009

I just read this in "Questions about high blood pressure? Ask Dr. Rowena" which is sponsored by the company, Intercure, that makes the Resperate relaxation and breathing device that has lowered high blood pressure for many people.

She wrote.:

"Q: What vitamins can be used for high blood pressure and cholesterol?
The question was what vitamins help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.

And, she answered.:

"A: Niacin, also known as vitamin B3 has been shown to be helpful in lowering cholesterol. Recent research suggests that Vitamin C may help with blood pressure. Since both these vitamins are found in many fresh fruits and vegetables, it makes more sense to eat healthily rather than to rely on supplements."

My reply to this was.:

A. The good news first.

1. Niacin not only lowers LDL, it lowers triglycerides, increases HDL & actually reduces mortality rates I've read. So noting that it has been shown to be helpful for lowering cholesterol is good.

2. Eating lots of nonstarchy vegetables, some raw & some cooked, and some fresh fruit daily helps prevent many kinds of cancer, helps the DASH & DASH II diets lower high blood pressure, helps prevent or reverse obesity -- which also helps lower high blood pressure, also reduces mortality rates, and may be the most valuable part of the Mediterranean diet except its use of olive oil instead of less health OK oils and fats.

So, recommending eating that way is a good answer.

B. Oops. Some of her answer is either incorrect or badly misleading or both. Ouch!

1. It would have been better to have added a link with more info on niacin for those interested. Fruits and vegetables, as dramatically good for people as they are -- including having some sterols and soluble fiber that reduce LDL cholesterol also, are still a very poor source for niacin.

You need to take at least 300 or 900 mg a day of niacin to be effective in optimizing cholesterol. Many people need to take more than that; but those that do, need to have their liver functions regularly checked by their doctor. And, even the good food sources of niacin don't provide enough to have these effects. You have to take niacin as a supplement to get them.

2. Vitamin C does a much better job at lowering high blood pressure directly and in preventing heart disease and the related inflexibility of your blood vessels that is a cause of high blood pressure in doses of 500 to 2,000 mg a day -- in addition to eating the fruits and vegetables she recommended than just eating the fruits and vegetables she recommended. (Doing both works best since you get both enough C along with the phytonutrients that multiply its beneficial effects.)

Since vitamin C supplements are also quite inexpensive, it seems silly to discourage their use.

3. There are also other vitamins, some minerals, and other supplements that lower high blood pressure.

For those interested, check out the book by Mark Houston, MD, the hypertension specialist at Vanderbilt who researched it in detail,
"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Lifestyle Program to Help Fight High Blood Pressure."

I actually used their form to send the above message to her.

Other related information for you.:

1. Dr Houston’s book is available on Amazon in paperback.

Dr Houston has found that a combination of taking the right supplements, eating a DASH II diet with both lots of fruits and vegetables and virtually no junk food or soft drinks plus moderate salt restriction, regular exercise, and not smoking or being around second hand smoke, can prevent high blood pressure -- or keep it low but allow people to stop taking drugs to lower their blood pressure -- or keep it low but allow people to use fewer of the drugs in lower doses to dramatically lower their side effects.

2. Practicing tai chi daily or almost every day or using the Resperate device that often can and has lowered high blood pressure as much as one or two of the most effective drugs. They have also reduced high blood pressure in people where the drugs alone were NOT getting the job done. One test found Tai Chi lowered high blood pressure an average of 17 over 11. (It’s both a way to relax and an exercise at the same time.) The Resperate used that often is almost that good for high blood pressure as it has averaged about 16 over 10 in reductions.

3. Apples and unsweetened apple sauce, beans and lentil, non-instant oatmeal, oat bran, and nuts – and some fruits --are high in soluble fiber that helps keep LDL cholesterol low. And nuts and many fruits and vegetables are high in sterols that also keep LDL cholesterol low.

Taking beta sitosterol supplements or other sterol supplements lowers LDL cholesterol with no side effects I’ve heard of also.

4. Regular exercise, regular vigorous exercise, on most days of each week increases HDL. So does eating extra virgin olive oil and NOT eating or cooking with other vegetable oils. So does eating blue berries, taking bilberry extract supplements, drinking moderate amounts of red wine often, eating nuts, and NOT eating junk foods, particularly those that contain trans fats or any hydrogenated oils.