How Vegetable Can Help Prevent Hypertension

The World Health Organization (WHO) says hypertension is the most prevalent form of cardiovascular disease, affecting 86.4 percent of patients with cardiovascular disorders and 38 percent of adults worldwide. The condition’s prevalence continues to rise, largely due to inadequate awareness and control measures.

According to the global health organisation, hypertension – a condition characterised by persistently elevated blood pressure against artery walls – affects over 1.3 million adults. Alarmingly, less than one in five individuals have their condition under control.

It also highlighted some unhealthy diet practices such as excessive consumption of salt, alcohol, consumption of saturated trans-fat, tobacco and stress as a leading cause of hypertension.

The WHO however noted that avoiding the aforementioned unhealthy diet practices with addition of more tomatoes and broccoli in diets, staying active and maintaining a healthy weight will help to have hypertension in control.

The usefulness of tomatoes and broccoli

A study carried out in National Library of Medicine on “Multi-Faceted Vegetable for Health: An In-Depth Review of Its Nutritional Attributes, Antimicrobial Abilities, and Anti-inflammatory Properties”, revealed that broccoli is a nutrient-rich vegetable with important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other bioactive compounds.
These nutrients and phytochemicals support overall health and wellness, including reduced inflammation, one risk factor of hypertension and also aids cancer prevention.

Similarly, a study carried out in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology on “association between tomato consumption and blood pressure in an older population at high cardiovascular risk”, revealed that good consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products is beneficial in preventing and managing hypertension. It also noted that higher tomato intake reduces hypertension risk by 36 percent and moderate consumption lowers blood pressure.

Tomato and broccoli are good sources of potassium, an essential mineral that helps lower blood pressure by balancing out the effects of sodium and enabling blood flow in the body. They both contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals which help improve overall cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with hypertension.

Normal body levels of potassium are important for muscle function, including relaxing the walls of the blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure and protects against muscle cramping. It is also important for the conduction of electrical signals in the nervous system and in the heart, this protects against an irregular heartbeat.

The antioxidants, like carotenoids (quercetin, naringenin and kaempferol), flavonoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein), polyphenol (phenolic acids), lycopene and vitamin C in tomatoes have been shown to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation and also improve cardiovascular health. They also inhibit the production of angiotensin II, a hormone that constricts blood vessels.

Similarly, broccoli contain antioxidants like glucoraphanin, which has been shown to help regulate blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. Also, sulforaphane, quercetin, polyphenols, kaempferol, indoles and vitamin C, are all found in broccoli and have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation in the body, a known risk factor for hypertension. They also inhibit the production of angiotensin II, the hormone that constricts blood vessels.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, United States has advised that Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet), should be adopted to control and prevent hypertension. DASH diet focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry and nuts.

It encourages a diet rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and reduced intake of sodium. Such a healthy diet with adequate body exercise, plays a major role in blood pressure control.

The global health organisation has overtime emphasised that excessive consumption of salt raises blood pressure. And has as well recommend a salt intake of less than 5 grams (approximately 2g sodium) per person per day for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of global death.

However, data from various countries indicate that most populations are consuming much more salt than recommended. This could be as a result of high consumption of overly processed foods which is known to have very much amount of sodium, one component of salt.

How does salt increase blood pressure?

Consuming high amounts of salt can increase the risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure) in several ways such as Fluid retention; Salt when consumed in excess brings about increased absorption of water in the body within the intravascular vessel. This causes increased liquid in the vessel and also increases the pressure at which the blood flows.

Another one is blood vessel constriction; excessive salt consumption can cause blood vessels to constrict or narrow, which reduces blood flow and increases blood pressure. Also, sodium imbalance; salt is composed of sodium and chloride, when sodium levels in the blood become too high, it can disrupt the balance of fluids in the body, leading to increased blood pressure.

Furthermore, kidneys play a crucial role in regulating blood pressure. A high-salt diet can put extra strain on the kidneys, making them less efficient at removing excess fluid and sodium from the body, which can contribute to high blood pressure.

How Vegetable Can Help Prevent Hypertension is first published on The Whistler Newspaper