Can Nitrates Help Control High Blood Pressure?
Just as CoQ10 appears to be beneficial in reducing blood pressure levels, nitrates, another alternative natural remedy, also appear to have a positive affect on reducing hypertension.
What are nitrates? Nitrate is a salt of nitric acid, and is an essential plant nutrient found in soil that is taken in by plants and used as their primary nitrogen source. Thus, nitrate is a natural part of all vegetables, fruits and cereals. Nitrate should not be confused with nitrite - a chemical substance within the body created by the digestion of foods containing nitrite (fish, mean and poultry preservatives) or nitrate.
How can nitrates help with hypertension? New studies have found that nitrates, nutrients found in leafy green vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, may actually help control blood pressure by maintaining the health of blood vessels. This may not come as a surprise to some people, especially considering the fact that past studies have discovered that the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, can lower blood pressure.
However, although the DASH diet has had a positive effect on those with hypertension, researchers are not sure what exact nutrients within vegetables and fruits are responsible for lowering blood pressure. For this reason, new studies that focus on nitrate have been conducted to determine if nitrate is one of the main reasons for the drop in hypertension.
One short-term study involving 17, non-smoking and healthy young adults, observed the effects a nitrate supplement had on the participants. Each person was given a daily dose of nitrate supplement that equalled the amount found in 150-250 grams of vegetables rich in nitrate (IE. lettuce, spinach, beetroot, etc.). They were to take the supplement for three days, and then take a daily placebo during three different days.
The results of the study concluded that although the nitrate supplement did not reduce systolic blood pressure (the higher number of a blood pressure reading), it lowered diastolic blood pressure by an average reduction of 3.7 mm Hg. The researchers that conducted the study found that the benefits of the nitrate supplement were similar to those found in the DASH studies that were also tested on healthy individuals.
Nevertheless, despite the findings, it is clear that more research needs to be done in order to find out just how effective nitrate supplements are in lowering blood pressure.
That being said, you don’t need to wait for research to prove the affects nitrate has on lowering blood pressure, when it is common knowledge that fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy Diet and are required to maintain a strong and healthy immune system. Therefore, there is no harm in adding more nitrate-rich foods to your diet and cutting back on fatty fried foods.
The following is a list of foods high in nitrates. You may find that you’ve already made many of these foods an active part of your lifestyle:
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Beets
- Radishes
- Carrots
Nitrate can also be found in the air, water and is also a preservative found in foods including cheese, processed meats, and fish, as well as in spirits and liqueurs.
Paul J Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/can-nitrates-help-control-high-blood-pressure-113229.html
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:53 pm
why is my blood pressure higher when I am lying down?
I have been having some problems sleeping lately, I am hypertensive and also have chest pains. Recently i started noticing that when i lie down to sleep at night i feel my heart beating irregularly and it makes it difficult for me to sleep, i then have to take some valium b4 i can sleep or have slow sex (without exerting myself so much) before i can sleep. yesernight i decided to measure my bp b4 going to bed it was 125/76, pulse 56. I measured it again while lying down and it was 140/80 pulse 54. i was surprised, so i sat up, went over to my table and measured it and i got 123/75 when i went back to bed it was 139/81. i then concluded that my bp seems to go up when i lie down which doesn;t seem right to me, is that y i have been having irregular heart beats and angina pains when i try to sleep lately. I am currently taking atenolol 100mg once a day, norvasc, captopril and aspirin but it seems these drugs no longer help especially with this irregular heart beat, altho they seem to have succeeded in lowering my bp and stabilizing me cos my bp behaves erratically, rises without warning, in such cases i quickly take take isordil (nitrate to bring it down quickly) but the above mentioned drugs seems to have stabilized my bp so i hardly take the nitrates. this new episode of palpitations and arrythmia (if that is what it is) that started 5 days ago when i bought a new pack of norvasc. its usually noticable when i lie down. I am thinking of stopping the norvasc bcos it coincides with the day the irregular heart beat started, fake norvasc are very common here in Nigeria and the last time i had these irregular heartbeats it stopped when i stopped taking the new norvasc pack that i bought then. I am suspecting the norvasc cos the previous pack i had was not giving me any problem, this prob started with this new pack or i’m i getting it all wrong, is my condition getting worse, i want to know what u guys think b4 i go to my cardiologist. yesternight i switched to atenolol 50mg twice a day to c if it can control the irregular beat at night, i don’t like taking the atenolol cos i used to be ashmatic (then i was a heavy smoker). now i have stopped smoking and the ashtma seems to have gone with it. but one day after having intense sex with my wife i started having difficulty breathing, in less than 3 mins i could hardly breath at all, i managed to grab my old ventolin inhaler was lucky to find something inside, i inhaled deeply twice and within a few mins felt some relief, but that sudden ashtma attack really scared me cos i wonder what would have happened if i didn’t have that ventolin inhaler at home, now i carry it about with me, i told my doctor and he said i shud stop the atenolol, last 2 months i complained of chest pains and he said i shud start taking the atenolol again…anyway i want u guys to evaluate my case and advice me b4 i c my doctor, if there are better drugs out there i wnat to know them so i can suggest it to him, also i will like hints on how to get authentic norvasc cos my system doesn’t take kindly with the fake ones (or maybe they are not fake as one pharmacist suggested that my reactions my just be psychological). I am 34 yrs old, slightly over weight, not very active, wanted to restart my exercise routing but i have to be careful not to over stress my heart, my doctor suggested walking quickly will do for now until i get the hang of it…he also suggested i shud cross over to UK and have a proper heart test done, medical facilities are limited here in nigeria, i have done a heart echo and ecg with chest xray, the echo showed i had LVH as at then which has resolved and slightly thickened endo which my doctor said is quite normal with hypertensive patients but i have discovered that i can’t do some things i used to do b4, like vigorous sex cos of my heart, if i try it i usually end up panting and maybe suffer some irregular heart beats.. give me all the possible advice u can b4 i go and c him, and do u guys really think i shud spend my life saviings on a trip to the UK to have my heart properly checked out or is everything under control…my major prob is my bp rising suddenly without warning, if i don’t notice it in time and take adequate measure maybe a cardiovascular incident may occur…what shud i do?
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:55 pm
the prolonged medication over years of suffering is the main culprit.
better see another reputed physician for 2nd opinion.
or u may see a chiropractor for totality of ur symptoms.
good luck to u.
References :
http://www.saioam.com
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Higher when lying down, question. Due to the type of pump that the heart is, it is very sensitive to the volume of inlet supply, so lying down increases that volume.
The other part of your question, about using nitrates to control blood pressure. I don’t believe that is a common practice in the States. Suggest you see a kidney specialist to control your BP.
References :