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Scientists from the University of Delaware conducted an experiment to find out which foods raise blood pressure. For this, they selected more than 100 elderly people and studied their diet.
It turned out that when eating food rich in sugar, the pressure during heart contractions increases. A similar effect of glucose on women is especially noticeable, according to the published study.
On the other hand, fruit consumption lowers blood pressure in both women and men. If you eat them in the amount of one cup a day, you can normalize the condition.
Connection of hypertension with flavor additives
When eating sweet food, the blood sugar level rises, and "bad" cholesterol begins to be produced in larger quantities. It settles on the walls of blood vessels and arteries, due to which their lumen becomes smaller, and it becomes more difficult to pump blood.
Besides sugar, excess salt can also harm your cardiovascular system. Sodium chloride keeps excess fluid in the body, which increases the amount of blood used to flush out salts. Such increased pumping can cause hypertension.
How to reduce pressure
Doctors prescribe certain medications for hypertension. However, doctors said that in order to lower blood pressure, in addition to drug treatment, you need to change your lifestyle. To this end, they advise:
- exercise regularly (for example, walking for 150 minutes every week);
- include more berries in the diet (fruits contain polyphenol, which reduces the risk of heart diseases);
- reduce the amount of alcohol (about 16% of cases of hypertension occurred due to alcohol);
- reduce the use of salt (along with a decrease in its content in the daily diet, blood pressure also decreases);
- use foods rich in potassium (potassium helps to get rid of sodium and is found in sweet potatoes, greens, bananas and nuts);
- reduce caffeine consumption (this psychostimulant turns out to be a short-term increase in blood pressure);
- fight stress (outbursts of anger and irritation accelerate the pulse and increase blood pressure);
- use bitter chocolate (cocoa beans contain flavonoids that help expand blood vessels);
- lose weight (excess weight has a harmful effect on the heart);
- quit smoking (chemical substances in tobacco harm the cardiovascular system);
- include calcium and magnesium in the diet (these minerals help relieve pressure from the walls of blood vessels and are found in tofu, dairy products, legumes, whole grains, and dark green vegetables).
