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Using Apple Cider Vinegar To Help Lower Blood Pressure
Regularly consuming apple cider vinegar may help lower blood pressure, but more research is needed. Always discuss the use of natural remedies or alternative treatments with your doctor.
There's a good chance that you or someone you know has had experiences with high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against your artery walls, sort of like water in a pipe when you turn on a faucet. The blood is pushed from your heart to other parts of your body. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain just how common high blood pressure is:
Apple cider vinegar is seen as a popular "cure all" for many illnesses and conditions. These include stomach upset, high cholesterol, and sore throats. It's true that this treatment dates back thousands of years. The ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates used apple cider vinegar for wound care, and in the 10th century it was used with sulfur as a hand wash during autopsies to help prevent infection.
Studies show that apple cider vinegar may play a role in keeping your blood pressure low. However, it should be used alongside other treatments and lifestyle changes as well. It's not a "cure-all," but it may help.
Researchers have only started looking into how vinegar may help lower blood pressure. Most of their studies have been conducted on animals and not people. While more research needs to be done, some studies show that apple cider vinegar may be useful.
Lowering renin activityApple cider vinegar mostly contains acetic acid. In one study, rats with high blood pressure were given vinegar over a long period of time. The study showed that the rats had a decrease in blood pressure and in an enzyme called renin. The researchers believe that the lowered renin activity caused the lowered blood pressure. A similar study showed that the acetic acid might also help with calcium absorption.
Lowering blood glucoseLowering blood glucose may help lower blood pressure as well. The prescription medication Metformin, used for lowering glucose in those with diabetes, lowered blood pressure in a recent study. Because vinegar also helped lower blood glucose in rats in another study, some believe apple cider vinegar might help lower blood pressure in this way. However, more research is needed for a clear connection between the two.
Lowering weightHigh blood pressure and obesity often go hand in hand. Using apple cider vinegar in place of high-fat and high-salt dressings and oils may be a helpful change you can make to your diet. Lowering your salt intake can help you both manage your blood pressure and trim your waistline. This method works best when used with an overall healthy diet that includes potassium-rich foods like spinach and avocados.
Lowering cholesterolA 2012 study with 19 participants showed that consuming apple cider vinegar over eight weeks led to lower cholesterol. High blood cholesterol and high blood pressure often work together to accelerate heart disease. They can damage the blood vessels and your heart more quickly. When you consume apple cider vinegar, you may be able to lower both cholesterol and blood pressure at the same time.
So, how do you make apple cider vinegar part of your diet? You may want to aim for about 3 teaspoons per day, and at concentrations of 3–9 percent. The vinegar can of course be very hard to handle all by itself, but you can mix it with other flavors to make it go down easy. Here are some ideas:
There are other dietary measures you will want to take to help your blood pressure as well. Many of these other measures have been studied more thoroughly. Check labels to make sure the sodium levels aren't too high. Choose low-sodium options when you can, such as with chicken broth and soy sauce. Make foods from scratch to control how much salt is added, such as with soups and hamburger patties.
If you're working with a doctor to control your blood pressure, it's important to continue to follow their advice. Keep taking any prescribed medications and follow any recommended routines. Apple cider vinegar may play a role in lowering blood pressure, but more studies are needed. However, there don't appear to be any risks involved with using apple cider vinegar in moderation.
Normal Blood Pressure Chart By Age
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is defined by systolic readings of at least 130 mmHg and diastolic readings of at least 80 mmHg, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 2021, 116 million U.S. Adults have high blood pressure.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?The cause of high blood pressure, or hypertension, is often unknown. It develops over time and often happens as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Occasionally, some people have hypertension caused by an underlying condition, such as kidney disease, adrenal gland tumors or thyroid disorders," says Dr. Wong. Other conditions like pregnancy, diabetes and obesity can also increase your risk.
"Some people are susceptible to high blood pressure from certain medications, such as birth control pills, some decongestants and even some over-the-counter pain relievers," says Wong. "Illicit drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines may also raise blood pressure."
High blood pressure is extremely common. A 2017 to 2018 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics found 45.5% of U.S. Adults have hypertension .
High Blood Pressure SymptomsHigh blood pressure is known as "the silent killer" because it typically has no symptoms. In fact, most people don't even realize they have hypertension until their blood pressure is monitored.
"Symptoms don't develop until the numbers get very high and organs get damaged, often irreversibly," says Dr. Desai.
If you have severe hypertension, you might notice the below symptoms, some of which were reported by patients in a study in the British Journal of General Practice :
"A healthy lifestyle can help prevent some of the damage that can occur with hypertension, as well as help lower blood pressure to some extent," says Dr. Wong. He recommends:
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Take Quiz"Dangers of untreated high blood pressure include stroke, heart attack, heart failure, vision loss, kidney failure, vascular dementia and sexual dysfunction," says Dr. Desai. It's one of the top risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation, which is the most common heart rhythm disorder worldwide and can lead to stroke, heart failure and reduced quality of life.
Cause And Cure Discovered For Common Type Of High Blood Pressure
Researchers have found that the cause of a common type of high blood pressure originates in a tiny benign nodule, present in one-in-twenty people with hypertension. The nodule produces a hormone, aldosterone, that controls how much salt is in the body. The new discovery is a gene variant in some of these nodules which leads to a vast but intermittent overproduction of the hormone.
Writing in Nature Genetics, researchers describe that the newly-discovered gene variant causes several problems, which makes it hard for doctors to diagnose some patients with hypertension. Firstly, the variant affects a protein called CADM1 and stops cells in the body from "talking" to each other and saying that it is time to stop making aldosterone.
Also an issue for doctors is the fluctuating release of aldosterone throughout the day, which at its peak causes salt overload and hypertension. This fluctuation explains why patients with the gene variant can elude diagnosis unless they happen to have blood tests at different times of day.
The researchers also discovered that this form of hypertension could be cured by unilateral adrenalectomy—removing one of the two adrenal glands. Following removal, previously severe hypertension despite treatment with multiple drugs disappeared, with no treatment required through many subsequent years of observation.
Fewer than 1% of people with hypertension caused by aldosterone are identified because aldosterone is not routinely measured as a possible cause. The researchers are recommending that aldosterone be measured through a 24-hour urine test rather than one-time blood measurements, which will reveal more people living with hypertension but going undiagnosed.
The initial patient in this study was detected when doctors noticed fluctuation in his hormone levels during his participation in a clinical trial of treatments for difficult hypertension.
In most people with hypertension, the cause is unknown, and the condition requires lifelong treatment by drugs. Previous research by the group at Queen Mary had discovered that in 5-10% of people with hypertension the cause is a gene mutation in the adrenal glands, which results in excessive amounts of aldosterone being produced.
Aldosterone causes salt to be retained in the body, driving up the blood pressure. Patients with excessive aldosterone levels in the blood are resistant to treatment with commonly used drugs for hypertension, and at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Professor Morris Brown, co-senior author of the study and Professor of Endocrine Hypertension at Queen Mary University of London, said, "In the 900th anniversary of Barts Hospital, this story illustrates benefits from the virtuous circle of science and medicine. Most patients consent to our undertaking non-routine molecular analyses of their surgical samples, from which we discover how their hypertension was caused, and how to cure it in future patients.
"Because the aldosterone nodules in this study were so small, we are now investigating whether momentary cauterization of the nodule is an alternative to surgical removal of the whole adrenal gland."
More information: Wu, X. Et al, Somatic mutations of CADM1 in aldosterone-producing adenomas and gap junction-dependent regulation of aldosterone production, Nature Genetics (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01403-0 www.Nature.Com/articles/s41588-023-01403-0
Citation: Cause and cure discovered for common type of high blood pressure (2023, June 8) retrieved 28 June 2023 from https://medicalxpress.Com/news/2023-06-common-high-blood-pressure.Html
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