Content provided in partnership with

Avoid the pressure cooker

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2003

I was recently diagnosed with slightly elevated blood pressure. Are there any foods I should include or avoid to help lower it?

--R.G., VIA MENSFITNESS.COM

"Dietary changes are definitely associated with helping to lower elevated blood pressure," says Matt Budoff, M.D., a board-certified preventative cardiologist and an assistant professor of medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine. In addition to advocating a diet high in whole foods and low in saturated fat, our experts recommend making the following modifications to your food intake. (These do not preclude the directions provided by your own physician.)

Most Popular Articles in Health: Fuel your workout: exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy ...; Soothe a dry, itchy scalp: 5 easy expert solutions; Cocktails and calories: Beer, wine and liquor calories can really add up. ...; The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use; The, six best supplements you've never heard of: these secret weapons can ...; More »

* Use garlic. "In addition to medication, or as a replacement for medication to lower blood pressure, you might consider garlic therapy," Budoff says. "Two recent studies have demonstrated that garlic therapy can lower systolic blood pressure five to seven points and diastolic by two or three. That's a respectable change. But if you have significant high blood pressure, this small change is not going to be enough to replace medication, so you need to consult with your doctor before making any changes in your medication."

However, feel free to add garlic into your diet, or take a garlic supplement. "The form of garlic doesn't matter; just increase your garlic intake," Budoff says. For supplementing, he recommends four garlic tablets a day, two in the morning and two in the evening. Each tablet has 300 milligrams of garlic, for a single dosage of 600 or 1,200 mg a day.

"Use a well-established brand such as Kyolic," Budoff says. If you prefer to consume garlic as a food, do it regularly. Increasing garlic consumption once a week is probably not enough to have an effect. Try to consume a couple of cloves a day."

Reduce salt intake. While the Recommended Daily Allowance for sodium is listed at 2,400 milligrams, our experts say that you're better off simply trying to maintain a moderately low intake. Unlike with other nutrients, almost no one in the U.S. has a sodium deficiency from a lack of availability in the food supply. To achieve this moderate balance, reduce high-sodium prepackaged foods and don't attack your food with a saltshaker.

Charles Hensley, who has a doctorate in physiology, agrees with Budoff's recommendations, but adds the following cautions:

* Don't eliminate or over-reduce salt intake. "When you reduce salt consumption, at first your blood pressure will go down," Hensley says, "but over time it will adjust to this level of salt consumption and tend to come back to its previous level.

Each person has a set point with blood pressure that's hard to adjust

in a permanent way. You can change that thermostat a little bit, up or down, but if you drastically reduce salt consumption, your blood pressure is going to readjust to pretty close to its original level. You still have the underlying problem that's causing you to have high blood pressure, and in most cases it's not salt."

* Maintain consistency. Making severe reductions in your salt intake can prove problematic. "If you take sodium consumption too low and then consume even a moderate amount of salt, your blood pressure will temporarily elevate," says Hensley. So even though you're not eating a large amount of salt, it can have a much stronger impact on blood pressure. To be on the safe side, keep sodium intake modest and steady.

* Consume more water. "You should always consume plenty of water, but on days when you eat more salt you should drink more water," Hensley says. Drinking water will help keep your fluids in balance and prevent elevations in blood pressure. Try to consume at least eight ounces of water a day.

* Keep your diet moderate. "People like absolutes in their diet," Budoff says. "But you shouldn't take anything to an extreme. You don't want to eat a garlic clove every hour, drink gallons of water, and avoid all foods that have any salt whatsoever. Always keep moderation in mind as you make changes in your diet to improve your blood pressure."

Avoid the pressure cooker

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2003

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Sports

Most Popular Articles in Health

Most Popular Publications in Health