Source: LeoPatrizi / Getty
Not only are there more incidents of high blood pressure in African Americans than in Caucasians, but the end-results of the condition tend to be more serious – often leading to stroke, renal failure, and heart failure. Some studies have found that African American women have higher awareness of blood pressure issues than men, so if you know and love a man at risk for high blood pressure, make sure he’s keeping an eye on that – there is a chance he isn’t. But then again, men are notorious for avoiding checkups and other important exams.
Though it’s common to joke that certain situations raise one’s blood pressure – like visits from the in-laws or conflict with that one frustrating coworker – there is actually no evidence that stress causes permanent changes in blood pressure. What does have an impact on blood pressure levels in the long-run is diet, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a history of high blood pressure in one’s family. Taking a closer look at those causes, diet really trickles into all of them. Diabetes can be the result of diet, as can high cholesterol, so paying close attention to what one eats is especially important in the battle against high blood pressure. On that note, here are foods that can help lower one’s blood pressure.
Source: Photo by Cathy Scola / Getty
Red and yellow bell peppers
Bright red and yellow vegetables like red and yellow bell peppers are high in potassium, which plays an important role in blood pressure management. Eating a diet high in potassium allows you to release more sodium through your urine, and it reduces the tension inside of blood vessel walls.
