February is American Heart Month. According to the American Heart Association, one in three Americans has high blood pressure. A major part in preventing heart disease, which is the number one killer of American women, is maintaining healthy blood pressure. One dietary intervention health professionals commonly recommend when guiding a client with hypertension is a reduced sodium diet. However, current research shows that we should think beyond simply limiting sodium to help our clients achieve healthy blood pressure. Other factors affecting hypertension that are equally important and often overlooked include lifestyle, diet quality and intake of micronutrients such as potassium.  

Focusing on lifestyle modifications can be a simple yet very effective way to treat hypertension. You can help your clients reduce blood pressure by encouraging them to:

• Adopt the DASH eating pattern, which emphasizes low-fat dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans and nuts. This dietary pattern is high in fiber and potassium and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. 
• Be active. Engaging in regular physical activity helps manage weight, reduce stress and control blood pressure.
• Reduce Stress. Turning down the stress response helps the body tune in to good health.
• Limit alcohol and quit smoking.

There are many ways that you can help you clients prevent and/or manage this “silent killer.” First, stay current on the latest research. Check out our recent Health Connections Newsletter which focuses on Managing Hypertension Through a Healthy Lifestyle. Second, encourage your clients to focus on diet quality. This goes beyond focusing on limiting sodium. Try recommending the DASH eating plan. There are many resources online to help them get started. Our partners at Oregon Dairy Council have developed a user-friendly online tool to help individuals incorporate DASH into their daily food choices. Lastly, identify clients who are at high risk of developing hypertension. Risk factors include obesity, physical inactivity, high sodium intake, low potassium intake, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes. Helping at risk individuals make healthy lifestyle changes can make a difference.

Ashley Rosales, R.D.

Project Manager

 In world history, salt was a sought-after commodity. Salt served as currency and established trade routes. Today, sodium intakes are linked to high blood pressure, and the committee that is currently working on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines is considering lowering the sodium recommendation for the general population. According to recent national studies, the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams per day of sodium. This amount exceeds by over 1,000 milligrams the amount recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. If the 2010 Guidelines lower the sodium recommendations, the gap between current recommendations and consumption will widen.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure. Risk factors include obesity, physical inactivity, high salt and sodium intake, low potassium intake, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes. Making lifestyle changes to address these risk factors generally improves blood-pressure levels.

Dietary patterns are related to overall health. Many studies have found that eating a low-fiber, high-fat diet and drinking excess alcohol increase the risk of developing disease. In contrast, eating a diet that is rich in low-fat dairy products, fruit and vegetables can promote health. Studies have shown that a diet with 3 servings of low-fat milk or milk products and high amounts of fruits and vegetables (8 – 9 servings per day) can lower blood pressure as much as some blood-pressure-lowering drugs. It is important to note that in a large clinical trial, a diet with fruits and vegetables alone (without the low-fat dairy foods) lowered blood pressure by half as much as the diet including the dairy foods.

This eating pattern was later coined the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan. While originally developed to study the effects of an eating pattern on the prevention and treatment of hypertension, DASH is one example of a balanced eating plan that promotes overall health. The handout DASH Study: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension explains the eating plan in more detail. The website DASH Diet Eating Plan provides more specifics on how to implement the eating plan.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager