Did you know that hypertension puts you at risk of heart disease and stroke, the two leading causes of death in the world and it is so common that nearly half of adults in the world close to 116 million, almost 50 percent of the total population experience high blood pressure, the scenario is so gruesome that in 2020, around 670 000 deaths in the u.s cited hypertension as a contributing factor. But the question is: how do you avoid falling prey to hypertension? Well, you can start by making healthy amendments to your diet. In today's article, we've compiled a list of harmful foods that push you one step closer to high blood pressure, so let's get started number one. It's time to cut down on your salt consumption, there's! No denying that sodium is essential for various body functions like maintaining fluid balance and regulating cellular mechanisms, but too much can come with its share of issues. Your body needs salt in very small amounts, lower than 500 milligrams, but the average american consumes roughly more than 32 000 milligrams. That's almost seven times the recommended amount. Increased sodium consumption leads to water retention, because it creates high flow in your blood vessels and arteries. Increasing your blood pressure, a diet high in salt or consuming more than 5 grams of sodium per day has been shown to contribute to the onset of hypertension and cardiovascular complications significantly. On the contrary, a low salt diet has been linked to decrease blood pressure and reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Most of the sodium in an american diet comes from pre-packaged and ultra processed foods that are tasty, quick and convenient and are often substitutes for healthy meals. These meals include pizzas, sandwiches, burritos, tacos and bread rolls number two: it's not just salt.
That's an issue say goodbye to delicious sugary, treats, let's admit, sugars, are the primary sources of energy for your body, but too much of anything is unadvisable. Excess sugar significantly raises systolic free, calcium concentrations, intercellular fluid in the vascular muscles, putting pressure on the blood vessels and contributing to hypertension. The rise in blood pressure due to increased sugar in the diet can also be linked with weight gain. Collective evidence suggests that a diet high in sugar usually triggers an unnecessary increase in weight leading to obesity, which can severely affect metabolism in the long run, and if your body's metabolism is affected, you'll no longer be able to derive energy from sugar and more of it will circulate throughout the body.
This could increase blood pressure and put an individual at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, so avoiding sweetened beverages, energy drinks and high sugar containing foods would be better. And yes, that also means you must give up on the extra maple syrup. You drench your pancakes. In now, some of you might be thinking you should avoid fruits. After all, they also contain sugar right. No, not at all. The sugar and fruits comes packed with good fiber and other vital nutrients, so they're not harmful and instead beneficial for consumption, so go ahead. Stock up on apples, oranges and berries number three next up on our list: let's talk about red meats. How can red meats be on the list? They're, full of nutrients and vitamins. Red meats are derived from non-fowl mammals and are named so because they are red when raw beef, pork, venison, goat, boar and lamb meat fall under the red meat banner consumption of red meat is linked to hypertension, whereas white meat from poultry rabbit and fish has no adverse effects on blood pressure. Initially, scientists needed clarification about the reason behind this relationship. There were no solid explanations to stand by, but in recent years breakthroughs have unraveled this mystery and brought to light an essential component in red meats responsible for raising blood pressure, called carnitine, the red of the meat.
The more carnitine is present in it. Beef is the highest carnitine containing food, with approximately 160 milligrams of carnitine per four ounce serving followed by pork, which contains 81 milligrams of carnitine per three ounce serving pork contains 30 carnitine and can increase blood pressure at 30 percent of the rate beef does, on the other hand, white meat, including chicken, only contains five milligrams of carnitine per 4 ounce serving and thus does not affect blood pressure. So, the next time you crave something non-veg, choose, wisely, number, four guess what excessive alcohol consumption is another cause of hypertension to enjoy a long life on this planet.
You must watch out for binge drinking and adopt a healthier lifestyle, alcohol contributes to a fair share of heightened blood pressure. Complaints across the globe, studies have repeatedly established links between excessive alcohol consumption and an increased risk of developing hypertension. One study aimed at those with a drinking habit and hypertension issues proved that when a person lowered their daily alcohol consumption, there was a striking reduction in their blood pressure and a decreased risk in cardiovascular repercussions. It was seen that alcohol nullified drug interactions and washed away the efficacy of medications given to patients with high blood pressure, leaving them ineffective.
Alcohol also leads to weight gain. You must have seen that alcohol aggravate your cravings and you end up eating more than usual. Under its effect, alcohol itself contains a high amount of calories. One gram of alcohol will provide you with seven calories, so alcohol's share of calorie intake when combined with your regular dietary consumption means a massive amount of calories. And if this pattern continues, then it's evident that you'll gain excess weight and, as we know, weight gain. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension are all interlinked and one leads to another, and so on this process of excess alcohol consumption will spike your blood pressure, pushing you to the doorstep of a myriad of life-threatening diseases, adopt good habits, lower your alcohol intake and seek medical help if cutting back seems to be a challenging task for you number five, another risk factor is consuming saturated fats, those aiming to prevent hypertension or lower it should do their best to avoid saturated fats. Evidence-based research has suggested that saturated fat consumption is responsible for high blood pressure. Increased consumption of saturated fat leads to impaired endothelial function, which is the maintenance of body fluidity, which raises blood pressure. Additionally, saturated fats also increase the ldl bad cholesterol in the bloodstream, leading to an easy buildup of deposits which over time develop into plaque and can cause severe cardiovascular issues. And do you know where saturated fats come from animal-based products such as red meat, butter and chicken skin? You should switch to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids mainly found in plant-based food items like nuts seeds, olive oil and avocados. If you want a healthy lifestyle change number.
Six, lastly, pre-packaged and ultra-processed food items should be avoided at all costs most sugar, sodium saturated fats, trans fat and additives come from pre-packaged food items, even if those pre-packaged vegetables and meat-based meals seem extremely enticing. You should rethink your choices. These items have high sodium and sugar content before adding them to your cart, you must check the labels and look for the ones with low sodium and sugar. The same goes for condiments, like ketchup, soy, sauce, chili, sauce and salad dressings. They often contain large amounts of sugar and salt. Most products that are low in sodium will advertise so on the labels. Studies have shown that ultra processed food leads to weight gain and obesity and obesity is already known as a significant factor for hypertension and cardiovascular health issues. Obesity triggers your sympathetic nervous system and alarms your body to speed up its regular functions. Your brain then commands your body to speed up its heart rate and deliver more blood to the requisite areas which creates undue pressure on your blood vessels leading to high blood pressure.
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