Going Meatless Could Reduce Your Blood Pressure

Are you a meat-eater? Have you been told you have high blood pressure? If so, you need to read [...]

Are you a meat-eater? Have you been told you have high blood pressure? If so, you need to read this!

blood pressure check

Often called 'The Silent Killer' nearly one third of adults have high blood pressure, according to The Chart. But why is hypertension so deadly? High blood pressure often comes with very few warnings signs. Unless diagnosed by a doctor, you may be unaware of your high blood pressure which can result in an increased risk for heart attack or stroke. So what can you do? A new study suggests that following a vegetarian diet could help to fight off hypertension.

A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 mm HG. Previous studies have shown that each increase of 20/10 mm Hg in that number doubles the patient's risk of cardiovascular disease. But lowering that top number just 5 mm HG can reduce your chances of dying from cardiovascular disease by about 7%. And eating more fruits and vegetables may be a good way to do that, according to the new study, published Monday in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

>> Click to read more on how to reduce high blood pressure.

Terms to know

Systolic blood pressure - the top number on your BP reading - measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart muscle contracts, or beats.

Diastolic blood pressure - the bottom number on your BP reading - measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart is still and refilling with blood.

The study

Researchers analyzed data from seven previously published clinical trials and 32 observational studies. A total of 311 participants were involved in the clinical trials. More than 21,000 participants were assessed in the observational studies.

The researchers only used data from studies that examined the association between a vegetarian diet and blood pressure. A range of diets were studied, including semi-vegetarian, veganlacto-vegetarianovo-vegetarian and pesco-vegetarian.

Want to learn more about this new study? Click here to be taken to the original story in The Chart.

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