Tag Archives: hypertension

Acupuncture for Hypertension

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month. Today’s post will review research on the use of acupuncture to lower blood pressure.

Hypertension is a significant health issue. Statistics from the CDC indicate that one third of American adults have hypertension, and another third fall into the pre-hypertension range. The costs of hypertension are estimated to be $50 billion annually.

A research group from China examined the possible benefits of acupuncture on hypertension. A meta-analysis was performed encompassing 23 different random controlled studies, with nearly 1800 subjects included in their analysis. Countries such as China, Germany, South Korea and the U.S. were included. Most participants had either mild, or mild to moderate hypertension.

After reviewing the data from this collection of 23 random controlled trials the study authors concluded that acupuncture when added to the existing anti-hypertensive medicine had a significant beneficial effect on lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, when compared to sham (fake) acupuncture plus medicine. Acupuncture therefore showed a beneficial effect when used as an add-on treatment to standard pharmaceutical anti-hypertensive therapy.

Acupuncture has been shown to be a safe treatment, with infrequent side effects. This meta-analysis shows promise for adding on acupuncture treatments to existing anti-hypertension medications to yield additional blood pressure relief.

“First, modify the patient’s diet and lifestyle and only then, if these do not effect a cure, treat with medicinals and acupuncture.”-  Sun Simiao

(Source- PLOS ONE, July 24, 2015)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone.

 

Lose Weight and Eat More Fiber to Lower Blood Pressure

May is designated as National High Blood Pressure Education Month, and so today’s post focuses on blood pressure, and how it may be improved via two different lifestyle and dietary modifications.

According to statistics from the CDC, about 75 million Americans have hypertension, which is about one in three adults. Only about have of those with hypertension have it under control. The costs associated with high blood pressure are estimated at $50 billion each year. African-Americans are particularly at risk for hypertension, with about 46% afflicted.

First of all a meta-analysis from researchers in the Netherlands looked at 25 different random controlled trials including over 4800 subjects, examining the effect of weight loss on blood pressure. After pooling the data from these 25 studies, it was determined that a 5 kg weight loss (= 11 pounds) yielded an average 4.4 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure, and a 3.6 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure. Weight loss was achieved by physical exercise, calorie restriction, or a combination of both. Larger blood pressure decreases were noted in those subjects who were already taking medicine for high blood pressure.

In addition to weight loss having a beneficial effect on blood pressure, it appears dietary fiber also has benefit. Researchers from Tulane University pooled data from 25 different studies, to examine the effects of dietary fiber on blood pressure. Nearly 1500 subjects were evaluated, with trials from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and India included. The overall effect of dietary fiber on blood pressure was a 1.15 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure, and a 1.65 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure. The drops in blood pressure were more significant in those patients with hypertension, with trials greater than or equal to eight weeks in duration, and in trials with fiber intake of 7.2-18.9 gm/day.

Therefore weight reduction and increased dietary fiber intake may be effective ways to help lower blood pressure, particularly in those who are currently diagnosed and being treated for hypertension. While certainly not a replacement for traditional hypertension therapy, losing weight and increasing fiber intake seem like simple lifestyle changes that could yield important benefits.

“One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills.”–  Earl Wilson

(Source- Journal of Hypertension, 2005, Vol 23 No. 3.  Hypertension, November 2003)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Poor Dental Health Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease in Women

March 20th is World Oral Health Day, and in recognition of this our post today will examine the relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women.

Statistics from the CDC indicate that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., accounting for nearly 1 in 4 female deaths. It is estimated that heart disease costs the U.S. about $200 billion annually.

For this study, researchers enrolled 57,000 females from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, between the years 1993-1998. The women were from 40 health centers nationwide, between the ages of 50 to 79. The participants periodontal status was assessed by a questionnaire at five years. There was also annual follow-up through 2010.

Results of the study demonstrated that total mortality risk was significantly higher in women with either edentualism or periodontitis. Also, women who were edentulous had a significantly higher risk of coronary vascular disease and coronary heart disease. These higher risks held even after data was adjusted for potential confounding factors.

This is a very robust study- a large group of post-menopausal women, a cohort that is generally underrepresented in medical research. Given the results of the study, good oral hygiene may be worthy of consideration as a way to potentially lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.

On World Oral Health Day, please remember to thank your dentist and hygienist for all their efforts on behalf of your health!

“You don’t have to brush your teeth- just the ones you want to keep.”– Anonymous

(Source- Journal of the American Heart Association, 2017)

This bog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Good Oral Hygiene May Prevent High Blood Pressure

In recognition of World Oral Health Day on March 20th today’s post will examine the relationship between periodontal disease and prehypertension, as well as hypertension.

According to statistics from the CDC, more than 25% of the adults in the U.S. have untreated tooth decay. In addition, almost half of U.S. adults have some signs of gum disease. Periodontitis is defined as the inflammation of the gums and support structures of the teeth. It is caused by certain bacteria, and in turn these bacteria cause inflammation. It is thought that perhaps if this inflammatory state becomes chronic, it may have implications for inflammation elsewhere in the body, such as in cardiovascular health.

A research group in Japan performed a prospective cohort study on a group of university students, examining whether periodontal disease was related to the development of prehypertension, or to hypertension. Over 2500 students enrolled in the study, ages 18-27 years.

Dentists assessed the oral health of each student. Periodontal health was evaluated using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), which is commonly used to measure periodontal disease. The CPI is an objective measure of periodontal health, and also suggests the proper treatment for the given CPI score. In addition to the CPI, the dentists also measured the Bleeding Upon Probing (BOP), which is felt to be a simple way to assess inflammation. While dentists assessed oral health, the resting blood pressure and body mass index of the subjects was also measured. The participants also completed a questionnaire, which assessed both dental and general health measures.

The Japanese university students were followed over a period of three years. What the researchers discovered was that the risk of developing hypertension over the three years was significantly associated with periodontal disease.

Given the results of this study, consider practicing good oral health as a way to lower your risk for developing high blood pressure. And don’t forget to thank your dentists and hygienists on World Oral Health Day, or the next time you see them.

“I told my dentist my teeth are going yellow, he told me to wear a brown tie.” – Rodney Dangerfield

(Source- American Journal of Hypertension, March 2016)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Sauna Lowers Risk of High Blood Pressure

This is the second post in recognition of Helsinki Sauna Day, which is March 9th. In this post we will examine research regarding sauna bathing and subsequent development of hypertension.

Sauna is a part of life in Finland, and an important element in Finnish culture. Saunas go back at least 2000 years, and perhaps even much longer. The first saunas were simply dug into embankments, and later free-standing log structures were developed. There are more saunas than cars in FInland.

A prospective cohort study was completed as part of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Study, this was the same study group that was discussed in our last post. The sample size included over 1600 men, ages from 42 to 60 years. It is important to note that these men did not have high blood pressure at baseline.

The subjects were enrolled in the study between 1984 to 1989. Information such as smoking habits, body mass index, serum creatinine (kidney function), glucose and cholesterol were collected. Sauna bathing habits were assessed via a self-administered questionnaire. The median age was 52.9 years. The average duration of a single sauna session was 14.4 minutes.

The mean time of follow-up was 22 years. During this time, subjects were monitored for the development of hypertension. The researchers discovered that the higher frequency of sauna bathing was independently associated with a lower risk of the development of high blood pressure, in a dose-response manner.

This is an important study- none of the subjects had hypertension when they enrolled into the study. Also, the more sauna sessions a participant had each week, the lower the risk of developing hypertension.

While this study shows impressive results in an all-male study, it should be repeated in a population of female participants to see if the results would still apply. Also, it would be interesting to see if the results would apply in a more diverse population, such as we have in the United States. In any case, taking a sauna bath certainly seems like a low risk endeavour that could potentially lead to the prevention of high blood pressure.

“Build the sauna, then the house.”–  Finnish Saying

(Source- American Journal of Hypertension 30(11), November 2017)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Just Say No to Soda for 2018- Part I

As 2018 begins a common inquiry from patients at the start of a new year is what can be done to improve health going forward. Often these questions fall into discussion about proper diet or exercise regimens, or some combination of these. The onset of a new calendar year gives us another opportunity to reflect on what we can do to improve our overall health status.

One area of diet that offers a fairly simple and painless way to better health is to limit or eliminate soda (aka soft drinks), both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened.

A study from 2016 supports the limiting of sodas. Korean researchers looked at the association of both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages with the risk of development of hypertension. The research group identified six studies, with over 246,000 participants, for their analysis of sugar-sweetened beverages and hypertension. For artificially sweetened beverages and hypertension, a total of 4 studies involving over 227,000 subjects were identified. Most of the studies were conducted in the US, while one was conducted in Spain. Most of the studies included were considered to be of “high quality”.

The age at initiation into the study ranged from 18 to 84 years, while the duration of follow-up ranged from 4 to 38 years. Both men and women were included. Food frequency questionnaires were used for dietary assessments.

What the researchers found was a positive association between both sugar-sweetened beverages and hypertension, and artificially sweetened beverages and hypertension as well. More telling, when the lowest intake groups for sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages were compared to the highest intake groups, it was found that each additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverage per day was associated with an 8% increased risk of hypertension, while each additional serving of an artificially sweetened beverage per day was associated with a 9% increased risk of hypertension. When researchers analyzed the groups based on gender, body mass index, and duration of follow-up period these positive associations continued to hold.

Recent figures indicate Americans consume an average of nearly 500 cans of soda each year. The US is second only to Argentina in per capita soda consumption. 500 cans of soda per year is a staggering total. Cutting back or going soda-free may be a great first step in making 2018 a healthier year for you.

(Source- Archives of Cardiovascular Disease (2016) 109)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create an physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Black Cumin Helps With Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

blackcumin1

Today’s post is about metabolic syndrome and lipids, another in our series of blogs for Cholesterol Education Month.

Black cumin (Nigella Sativa) is an annual flowering plant found in southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa. The black cumin seeds have long been used as a spice in both Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Written references to black cumin appear in ancient texts, and the Book of Isaiah (28: 25,27) references cumin seeds. Modern research has focused on the pharmacologic properties of black cumin.

A group of researchers in Pakistan recently performed an interesting study in which they looked at black cumin to treat the symptoms of metabolic syndrome (also known as insulin resistance). There are five metabolic risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, these include large waistline, high triglyceride level, low HDL (“good cholesterol”), high blood pressure, and high fasting blood sugar. Having at least three of these five symptoms is considered to be a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Recent data estimates from 2011-2012 show that 35% of all U.S. adults and 50% of those 60 years and older meet the criteria of metabolic syndrome. As metabolic syndrome is very often a precursor to diabetes this is a national health issue of first order.

The researchers enrolled 159 subjects into the study, of which there was a black cumin supplemented group, and a non-supplemented group. All subjects were recently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, and the study included both men and women, ages 25-65 years.  All subjects were on a standard treatment regimen for metabolic syndrome, including pharmaceutical medicines such as atenolol, clopidogrel, enalapril, metformin, and simvastatin. In addition the black cumin group took Nigella seeds in a capsule form 250 mg twice daily. The study ran for six weeks.

Several clinical parameters of metabolic syndrome were measured, both at the start of the study and then again at conclusion. These included body mass index (BMI), circumference of the abdomen and hip, body weight, waist-hip ratio, blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL (“bad cholesterol”), triglycerides, and HDL.

At the conclusion of the six-week trial the clinical parameters were again measured. There were improvements in all parameters, both in the standard treatment group as well as in the black cumin supplemented group, as one would expect. In addition, in the black cumin seed group, there was a statistically significant improvement in fasting blood sugar, LDL and HDL, over the standard treatment (non black cumin seed supplemented) group. To see a statistically significant improvement in just six weeks is profound.

Metabolic syndrome is a serious health issue, not only in the U.S., but world-wide. Proper diet and exercise are a mainstay of treatment, as well as medications. Part of the solution may well be use of ancient or traditional foods, such as black cumin.

(Source- African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 11948), June 2012).

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

More Reasons to Eat Blueberries- Part Two

Bluberries1

Metabolic syndrome is a growing problem, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Some of the components of metabolic syndrome include increased abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high triglycerides associated with low HDL (“good cholesterol”), and impaired glucose tolerance. Some of you may be familiar with the term “insulin resistance” in the context of metabolic syndrome.

As metabolic syndrome may be a precursor to the development of diabetes there is considerable on-going research on this topic. A study performed at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University examined the effect of blueberry intake on obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. In particular, cardiovascular risk factors were examined.

Forty-eight participants were randomized to either a blueberry group or control group. Those in the blueberry group consumed a freeze-dried blueberry beverage twice a day, while the control group drank an equivalent amount of water.

Over the eight week course of the study the blood pressure in the blueberry group dropped 6% (systolic) and 4% (diastolic). Biomarkers of oxidative stress were also decreased in the blueberry group. Oxidized LDL dropped 28%, while combined serum malondialdehyde and hydroxynonenal concentrations dropped 17%. Both the decreases in blood pressure and oxidative stress biomarkers were substantially larger in the blueberry group than the control (water) group.

Interestingly this study shows a similar drop in blood pressure to the blueberry study we previously reviewed. This is simply more evidence of the beneficial effects of blueberries on cardiovascular health, in a particularly high-risk population.

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

(Source- The Journal of Nutrition, July 21, 2010)

Blood Pressure Creeping Up? Think Blue(berries)

“When any lagged behind, the cry of “blueberries” was most effectual to bring them up.”
Henry David Thoreau

Bluberries1Blueberry

July is National Blueberries Month and in honor of this delectable fruit today’s post will examine research on the health benefits of blueberries.

Recent research indicates that daily consumption of blueberry powder lowered both blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a group of post-menopausal women, who were either in pre-hypertension or the earliest stages of hypertension. A research group primarily from Florida State University followed 48 women through the 8 week study. Women were allocated to a blueberry powder group (equivalent to one cup of fresh blueberries per day) or a placebo powder group.

Subjects in both groups were asked to continue their usual diet and exercise regimens (or lack thereof). After 8 weeks of daily blueberry powder the women were found to have a mean reduction of 5.1% in systolic blood pressure, and 6.3% in diastolic blood pressure, while the placebo powder group had no change.

What’s important about this study is that it shows the potential benefits of a simple dietary intervention, eating blueberries, on lowering blood pressure. It would be interesting to know if eating actual blueberries rather than the powder, would offer more blood pressure benefit, or whether eating more than just a cup of blueberries would offer additional benefit. Also, is this blood pressure lowering effect of blueberries extended to the general population?

(Source: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, March 2015, Volume 115, Number 3)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.