Tuesday, August 21, 2007

BP Tip#5

Tip #5 - Can your diet help lower blood-pressure?

Ok, we are sure your doctor has told you (on more than one occasion) that losing extra weight and eating better can reduce high blood-pressure.

As we know it is "easier said than done," we thought we'd provide you with few facts and tools that can help.

If you are overweight, every 10 pound (4.5 Kg) reduction can lower blood-pressure by 5-20 points.

Reducing sodium intake for salt sensitive people was shown to reduce BP 2-8 points.

Limiting your alcohol consumption to two glasses for men and one glass for women (and light weighted individuals) can lower blood-pressure by 2-4 points.

Cutting caffeine can also make a difference.

The "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" (DASH) project funded by the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that people who adhered to this diet, which is rich in potassium and calcium and limits fat and sodium, were able to reduce BP 8-14 points within just 8 weeks. To download a NIH white paper about the DASH diet Click Here.

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