Heart Health: No, You Can't Rely on Medication Alone

Healthy lifestyle changes, including nutrition and exercise, can reduce the risks associated with diabetes and hypertension!

Question: As long as my doctor can keep my blood pressure and blood sugar controlled by adjusting my medication, does it really matter how I eat or how much I weigh?

Answer: Absolutely! An unhealthy overall diet or level of body fat can mean you require higher doses of medicine than would otherwise be needed to control your blood pressure and blood sugar. Those higher doses mean greater chances of side effects that can reduce your quality of life. Besides, additional doses or stronger choices of medicines are often more expensive, which increases the financial burden not only for you but for our whole country. Medications to control blood pressure and blood sugar are life-saving, but use them as additions to a healthy lifestyle, not alternatives to it. Researchers now point out that although controlling blood pressure and blood sugar are important, this control does not necessarily stop underlying metabolic changes from unhealthy eating habits and excess weight that can promote chronic, low-level inflammation, heart disease and long-term cancer development. Excess weight increases risk of conditions that impact your quality of life, such as osteoarthritis and urinary incontinence. Healthy eating habits and weight management do more than just improve your blood pressure and blood sugar: the pay-off includes more energy and lower risk for many cancers and other chronic diseases.

Question: If blood pressure control is all about limiting sodium, what has eating more vegetables and fruits got to do with better blood pressure?

Answer: Limiting sodium is an important step to reduce risk of high blood pressure and, for many people, to control it. However, eating lots of vegetables and fruits adds another layer of protection. In a recent study, overweight men and women with above normal blood pressure achieved drops of 11 mm Hg/8 mm Hg after just four months on a diet that limited sodium and fat and loaded up on vegetables and fruits. These foods supply potassium, magnesium and dietary fiber, all of which seem to help control blood pressure. Aim for at least one cup total of vegetables and fruits at each meal and a snack, and you’ll easily reach the recommended daily intake. The study showed that adding exercise and weight loss of about a pound a week to this high-produce eating style can reduce blood pressure even further.


Via: American Institute for Cancer Research