Hypertension Intervention Putting the B in BP control for women I've written in my newsletter about the proven links between folic acid (folate) deficiency and disease - specifically Alzheimer's and cancer. In case you haven't read any of those articles, suffice it to say that I'm a big fan of daily supplementation with 800 micrograms or so of folate, for many reasons regarding your health… And it seems at least some in the mainstream agree with me about this crucial B-vitamin, if research presented to the American Heart Association means anything. According to a large-scale study formally unveiled at the AHA's annual High Blood Pressure Research Conference, researchers have discovered that women (especially young women) who consume 800 micrograms or more of folic acid daily slashed their risk of hypertension by 33% over those consuming less than 200 micrograms of folic acid per day. Not a bad reduction, huh? Many women's health experts have long recommended folic acid for younger women because it has been proven to reduce the risk of birth defects. However, this powerful B-vitamin's effects on blood pressure have heretofore remained undocumented, at least to my knowledge. The study included more than 150,000 women between ages 26 and 70 - and although younger women showed the most dramatic benefits, subject women in the highest age brackets also enjoyed a 13% reduction in hypertension risk from consuming adequate amounts of folate. Whether or not daily folate consumption helped men dodge the hypertension bullet, the study did not conclude, or even measure, apparently. So, where can you girls get folate? Fruits (especially tomatoes-yes, they're a fruit), beans and other legumes, and green leafy vegetables like spinach (don't overdo it, though). Also, you can choose from a great number of folate or folic acid supplements on the market. You can get them at grocery stores, health-food stores, or through the mail. And speaking of blood-pressure related news… **************************************************** Challenging the salt stigma Try as I might, I've never been able to make much of a dent on the mainstream's maligning of salt. Even though I've shouted at the top of my lungs that salt does NOT cause high blood pressure except in a very small percentage of people who are abnormally salt-sensitive, the mainstream continues to portray sodium as a killer to be shunned at all costs. And with today's ridiculously low guidelines for "high" blood pressure, there's no reprieve in sight for salt. But some European research has concluded that an extra pinch or two of salt per day can help the elderly to stay healthy - and that fully 10% of older folks suffer from a sodium DEFICIENCY! This lack of sufficient daily salt can cause nervousness, hallucinations, muscle cramps, and even urinary incontinence. This, amidst a UK-wide drive to reduce salt in Briton's diets! In fact, according to a Nutraingredients online article, the UK's Health Minister, rejected a proposal from Britain's major food producers to reduce levels of salt in food - for not being stringent enough! Instead, she issued more than 20 of Britain's food giants an ultimatum to reduce the "unacceptably high levels of salt" in their foods. I guess it takes more than direct scientific evidence to shake the "salt stigma" in the hallowed halls of parliament, huh? Perhaps she was suffering from a low-sodium-induced hallucination… The campaign against salt - and the continuing misinformation of the public about sodium and high blood pressure - is no less militant on these shores. I'd hoped that after the last round of downward revisions in the already absurdly low blood pressure standards, people would have started to question the conventional wisdom on the topic. Instead, we seem content with today's most popular salt substitute: Hypertension drugs. Here's one salty dog who never substitutes for the truth, William Campbell Douglass II, MD
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