The Best Diet to Prevent Hypertension?

Mediterranean Diet Could be Best for Preventing High Blood Pressure

May 16, 2009 Kristie Leong

When it comes to preventing and treating hypertension, many people are looking for natural alternatives. Could the Mediterranean diet be the answer?

Hypertension is an all too common condition in today’s hectic society. With many Americans being overweight, eating a poor diet, and experiencing high stress levels, blood pressure problems will likely remain a reality. Although some people are genetically predisposed to hypertension, there’s plenty of evidence that a healthy life style and good nutrition can delay or even prevent the onset of hypertension. What’s the best diet to prevent hypertension?

The Mediterranean Diet to Prevent Hypertension: A Study

According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Mediterranean diet holds promise for preventing hypertension. This study which looked at over 8,000 men and women showed that eating a Mediterranean diet significantly reduced the risk of hypertension. The Mediterranean diet consists primarily of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and uses healthy fats such as olive oil as opposed to saturated and trans fats so common in the typical American diet. It’s usually light on meat with fish being the preferred protein source.

This isn’t the first time the Mediterranean diet has been recognized for its the potential to prevent hypertension. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that blood pressure levels were lower in those who followed a Mediterranean diet and were proportional to how closely they followed the diet. The same study also highlighted the importance of olive oil, showing that blood pressure levels dropped in proportion to how much olive oil was consumed.

The Mediterranean Diet: Other Benefits

The Mediterranean diet has not only come to the forefront for its ability to prevent hypertension, but also for its potential to lower the risk of a variety of other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. It seems to get its ability to prevent disease from the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and the high levels of antioxidants found in this diet. People living in the Mediterranean region also eat few processed foods which generally have higher levels of sugar, preservatives, as well as lower nutritional value.

The Mediterranean Diet to Prevent Hypertension: The Bottom Line

While adopting a Mediterranean diet to prevent hypertension may not be effective for persons at high risk of hypertension due to family history, it could delay its onset and even reduce the amount of medication needed for its treatment. Eating this fresh, antioxidant rich diet also has other heart healthy benefits.

There are a variety of books and online sites that discuss recipes and meal plans for getting the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. This is a diet plan that has few downsides and with its wide range of choices, will work for almost anyone. Whether to prevent hypertension or enhance overall health, this diet reigns supreme.

References:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol. 80, No. 4, 1012-1018, October 2004

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 63, Pages 605-612; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2008.22

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