A person's risk of heart disease could be halved -- at the least -- by controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but this feat is only accomplished by fewer than one in three people, according to a new study in the journal Circulation.


Researchers reviewed data from more than 17,000 American adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys during 1988-94, 1999-2004 and 2005-10. Researchers assessed their blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as other potential heart risk factors including race, age, presence of other diseases (like diabetes), doctor visit frequency, insurance status and smoking habits.


Researchers found that the demographic that would best benefit from being prescribed blood pressure or cholesterol medication were older Americans with diabetes or heart disease, or who are Hispanic or African-American. Additionally, researchers found a link between visiting the doctor at least twice a year and controlled blood pressure and cholesterol.


This finding corroborates an earlier study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, in which researchers found that nine in ten African-American patients with high blood pressure also suffered from heart disease[1] caused by high blood pressure.


The findings are important considering about a third of Americans have high LDL ("bad") cholesterol[2] , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, only about a third of those patients with high cholesterol have their condition under control.



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  • Kiwis


    Research presented at a meeting last year of the American Heart Association shows that eating <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/kiwis-blood-pressure-apples_n_1097364.html" target="_hplink">three kiwis a day</a> is linked with decreased blood pressure.

    That study included 188 men and women age 55 and older, with slightly high blood pressure. They were instructed to eat three kiwis a day, or an apple a day for eight weeks.

    The researchers found that the people who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/kiwis-blood-pressure-apples_n_1097364.html" target="_hplink">ate the kiwis</a> had lower systolic blood pressure levels than those who ate the apples.

    Kiwis are known to be rich in lutein, which means they have antioxidant properties.

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hulagway/5941766050/">by whologwhy</a>.</em>




  • Peas, Bananas And Other Potassium-Rich Foods


    A 2005 study in the journal <em>Hypertension</em> found that it's possible to get the blood pressure-lowering effects from <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0705c.shtml" target="_hplink">potassium-containing foods</a>, instead of just from a potassium supplement.

    Researchers from St. George's Medical School in London found that people who consumed potassium citrate -- which is found naturally in food -- has the same effects in <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0705c.shtml" target="_hplink">decreasing blood pressure</a> in people with hypertension as those who took potassium chloride, which is only available as a supplement, Harvard Medical School reported.

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robin24/5131280208/">by robin_24</a>.</em>




  • Watermelon


    <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/watermelon-lowers-blood-pressure-study-finds" target="_hplink">Watermelon</a> is not just refreshing, it contains a bounty of nutrients including fiber, lycopenes, vitamin A and potassium, according to the Mother Nature Network. And, a study from Florida State University researchers shows that an amino acid found -- called <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/watermelon-lowers-blood-pressure-study-finds" target="_hplink">L-citrulline/L-arginine</a> -- in watermelon could also have blood pressure-lowering effects.

    The researchers had nine people with prehypertension take 6 grams of the L-citrulline/L-arginine amino acid a day over a six-week period. They found that the study participants had lower blood pressure, as well as better functioning of their arteries.

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gudlyf/3657294414/">by Gudlyf</a>.</em>




  • (Purple) Potatoes


    Spuds may get a bad rap in the foodsphere, but a small study presented last year at a meeting of the American Chemical Society showed that the purple-hued root vegetables have <a href="http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=222&content_id=CNBP_028109&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=6e3e7956-f304-482b-96f2-b644d1a2aaa5" target="_hplink">blood pressure-lowering powers</a> that are nearly as effective as oatmeal, without packing on pounds.

    The study included 18 people with high blood pressure. They ate six to eight <a href="http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=222&content_id=CNBP_028109&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=6e3e7956-f304-482b-96f2-b644d1a2aaa5" target="_hplink">purple potatoes</a> (including the skins!) twice a day, for a month-long period. The researchers found that the study participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped at the end of the research period. (Though, it should be noted that this was just an observational study, and the potato-eaters' blood pressure was not compared to people who did not eat purple potatoes during the study.)

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taransa/5499878925/">by Taransa</a>.</em>




  • Tofu


    Eating a lot of tofu and other soy foods -- like soy nuts, miso, edamame, tempeh and soy milk -- is linked with <a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20120327/soy-nutrient-may-lower-blood-pressure" target="_hplink">decreased blood pressure</a>, WebMD reported.

    The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, included 5,000 people whose diets were tracked over 20 years. The researchers found that the ones who <a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20120327/soy-nutrient-may-lower-blood-pressure" target="_hplink">consumed the most isoflavones</a> -- found in soy, as well as peanuts and green tea -- had lower systolic blood pressure than those who consumed the fewest isoflavones, according to WebMD.

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoosvanrobin/5776783857/">by FotoosVanRobin</a>.</em>




  • Chocolate


    Chocolate is linked with a lower BMI -- <em>and</em> it could be beneficial for people with hypertension.

    A 2010 review of studies in the journal <em>BMC Medicine</em> showed that <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/39" target="_hplink">flavanols</a>, which are found in chocolate, seemed to promote the dilation of blood vessels, which in turn can lower blood pressure.

    "Flavanols have been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and consequently may lower blood pressure," study researcher Dr. Karin Ried, of the University of Adelaide in Austria, said <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628075746.htm" target="_hplink">in a statement</a>. "There have, however, been conflicting results as to the real-life effects of eating chocolate. We've found that consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure."

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sionakaren/3871516012/">by Siona Karen</a>.</em>




  • Chili Peppers


    If you love a little heat with your food, it could be doing your <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413110002287" target="_hplink">blood pressure</a> a favor, too.

    A 2010 study in the journal <em>Cell Metabolism</em> showed that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413110002287" target="_hplink">capsaicin</a> -- the spicy ingredient in chili peppers -- could help to lower blood pressure in rats with hypertension.

    However, the researchers from the Third Military Medical University in China noted that the results need to be replicated in humans.

    <em>Flickr photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trostle/6114402110/">by Trostle</a>.</em>




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