{"id":679,"date":"2008-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/nutrition-blood-pressure-salt-potassium\/"},"modified":"2008-07-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-24T00:00:00","slug":"nutrition-blood-pressure-salt-potassium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/nutrition-blood-pressure-salt-potassium\/","title":{"rendered":"For Blood-Pressure Concerns, Slash Salt and Pump Up Potassium"},"content":{"rendered":"
I like to think of high blood pressure<\/a> as the Rodney Dangerfield of heart conditions: Regardless of how dangerous it really is, it gets no respect. More than one in three adults has high blood pressure (and at some point in our lives, 9 out of 10 of us will have it), but Americans just don't seem too concerned.<\/p>\n Maybe that's because a large proportion of those with the disease—and yes, it is a disease—don't even know they have it. A heart attack, if they're lucky enough to survive it, will scare people silly, clean up their diets, and reform their lifestyles. But for some reason, high blood pressure remains a sneaky, silent killer.<\/p>\n Take charge now, before it's too late<\/strong> The good news, however, is that for most of us, our blood pressure is directly linked to our weight, eating habits, and level of exercise—and these are all things we have the power to change. Losing weight is still considered the most effective way to lower blood pressure, but you should also pay attention to two nutrients in your diet that directly impact your levels.<\/p>\n Sodium and potassium are key<\/strong>
High blood pressure, aka hypertension<\/a>, needs to be taken seriously. As we age, our pressure naturally creeps up—so keeping it as low as possible while you're young and able is key. Why's that? "High blood pressure is linked to 62% of strokes and 50% of all cardiovascular events," notes Frank Sachs, MD, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The lower your blood pressure, the lower your risk for coronary heart disease and stroke."<\/p>\n
A new review<\/a> written by the Vanderbilt University Hypertension Institute shows that an optimal ratio of potassium to sodium may help millions of Americans reduce their risk of hypertension. The best-case scenario for potassium and sodium is suggested to be about a 5:1 ratio, but because our current eating habits are so out of whack (we eat twice the sodium and only half the potassium we need), the researchers say that boosting potassium and reducing sodium by any amount can help.<\/p>\n