Blood Pressure Info, FAQ & Tips

What's caused my high blood pressure, and what on earth is the Dr. actually trying to say?!

When the GP starts talking about blood pressure, the first thing that usually happens is that yours will go up slightly in response to being told something may be amiss... Followed by spiralling thoughts such as 'But I've never had any problems with my heart...' or 'I've always exercised well...'

What few of us realise is that high blood pressure is technically not a cardiovascular issue. By that we mean that it's actually your kidneys (and liver, but that's another episode!) that are responsible for managing your blood pressure.

They do this by managing your minerals, regulating your pH, filtering waste material from your blood, managing your fluid balance, producing hormones and proteins (they're responsible for starting the process of making new red blood cells) and, quite a bit more. Because of this, they are where a blood pressure issue begins.

We all know (or at least we hope we all do and if not, this is most definitely going to help you understand a bit more!) that there are some key triggers for high blood pressure. Namely stress and salt (histamine* can also be an issue, but we'll cover that another time!).

We'll start with the stress part and to begin with, let's break down a teeny bit of biology for you.

Your kidneys are incredible filtration plants and as part of their electrolyte and fluid balancing act, they also produce the protein renin, which is the first chemical released when either your blood pressure or sodium drops or when your nervous system ticks into sympathetic (fight/flight/freeze/faun) mode on high alert. Renin signals your liver to to release and convert the protein angiotensinogen into angiotensin I (AGT I). As angiotensin I flows through the heart and lungs in the blood stream, it hits an enzyme called ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme, scientists can be so boring with their names sometimes!), which transforms AGT I into angiotensin II (AGT II). AGT II narrows blood vessels by stimulating vasoconstriction, which instantly raises your blood pressure as well as telling your adrenals and pituitary gland to release more hormones which then respectively make you retain more salt and release less fluid.

So to recap:

• Blood pressure drops or sodium drops or stress mode activates

• Kidneys kick out renin in response

• Renin shoves the liver into converting angiotensinogen into AGT I

• AGT I meets ACE in the blood stream and converts to AGT II

• AGT II narrows your blood vessels and bullies your adrenals and pituitary

• Adrenals release aldosterone -> makes your kidneys hold onto sodium

• Pituitary releases antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which stops your kidneys removing fluid from your blood (aka. stops you peeing as much) thereby stabilising your blood volume and blood pressure

This is a very smart little feedback loop. So once the input which escalated this situation has resolved, the kidneys, liver, adrenal glands and pituitary chill out a bit and slowly everything returns to your baseline.

This neatly demonstrates how continual low grade stress, along with a high coffee or tea intake, can really start to screw things up over the long term. If your kidneys are continually under the impression that you're fighting (imaginary or metaphorical) bears and you're kicking your adrenals with caffeine, which also raises your cortisol, then they're never going to hit the off switch on overproduction of renin.

Now let's look at salt (aka. sodium).

High salt in the diet essentially overpowers the feedback loop above.

Excess sodium pulls more water into the blood stream, which increases pressure against the blood vessel walls, which creates its own feedback loop. High sodium also stiffens the blood vessel walls, making them less able to tolerate changes and relax, which again, raises blood pressure.

High sodium also has a direct impact on your kidneys, putting them under additional stress. It increases the amount of protein in your urine, which is an indication of kidney stress, and also begins to cause more calcium to be excreted (looking at those of you with a family history of osteoporosis here), which raises the risk of kidney stones forming.

You start to see how relying on shop bought meals, takeaways and energy drinks might be contributing to a storm brewing here. Especially if this is sitting alongside a sedentary and stressful day to day life.

Now you're all desperate to know more about the actual blood pressure readings on the machine, we can tell.

Systolic pressure (the top reading, which should ideally be around 120mm Hg) is the pressure on your artery walls during contraction of the heart. So systole = contraction.

Diastolic pressure (the bottom reading, which should be around 80 mm Hg) is the pressure on your artery walls when the chambers of your heart are refilling with blood. Diastole = relaxation.

A healthy adults' pulse should be somewhere between 60-100bpm at rest or when not actively exerting ourselves. Those of us who are more active may find that their 'resting' pulse is a bit lower, though if yours is lower than 50bpm whilst awake and you're not an athlete (or avid cross fitter, or weekend triathlete!), then you might want to check in with your GP and make sure everything is OK.

The general, safe upper limit to your pulse rate on heavy exertion is calculated by deducting your age from 220. So, a 38 year old's safe upper pulse rate would be 182bpm.

Now for the wild bit. You can have high blood pressure in both systolic and diastolic measurements, this is known as Hypertension.

Or you can have just one of the two reading as high. Sadly, if it's just one of the two which is high, it isn't cancelled out by the other one being OK.

If your top number is above 130 mm Hg but your bottom one is still hovering at 80 mm Hg then you have Systolic Hypertension. This is when the pressure in your arteries is peaking too high during contraction of your heart. It usually happens when arteries become stiff, often related to age, but with a high salt intake, it can occur much earlier.

If it's the bottom number then you have Diastolic Hypertension. This happens when the pressure in your arteries remains too high when your heart is relaxed and not pushing blood out.

So what can I do about it?

There are lots of things you can do to support your kidneys and liver (see our previous liver post here if you've not read it before).

Above all things, your kidneys need you to be well hydrated. This is usually the first thing most people overlook. Just squeeze in a few glasses of water dotted throughout your day, switch some of your hot drinks for a herbal tea (we have some specific recommendations for those in a sec!) and ensuring that between those two things, you get at least 1l of non builders tea/energy drink/coffee/alcoholic fluid daily will be a fantastic start!

Become more aware of your salt intake. Most foods from a packet will have salt added to them so try not to add any more before you eat your meal, don't be an auto-condimenter!

Try to prioritise vegetables, quality protein (don't overdo protein for your needs though as this can add strain to your kidneys) and wholegrains in your meals.

Be aware of how much of an impact over the counter medications, supplements (especially if you're taking lots, or you've not checked into whether they cross over, or you're not sure if they aren't playing well with your meds, or they were recommended by a friend who's not in medicine or nutrition...) may have on your kidney health.

Be aware that the overall state of your health can impact your kidneys. Metabolic issues like diabetes and long term stress can have a big impact on kidneys. As can histamine overload over time*.

Never leave a urine infection untreated. Our kidneys do not typically recover function once damaged and unmanaged infections can take a toll on the overall health and efficiency of your kidneys. Make sure you get checked out if you suspect you have an infection brewing.

As for things you can start to include in your day to day to directly support your blood pressure if you're worried that it's getting a bit high, again there are lots! We'll list a few of the big ones here for you:

• Vitamin D - your kidneys are also responsible for converting vitamin D into its' body friendly form and vitamin D deficiency is linked to a higher risk of hypertension. The most bioavailable form we are currently aware of is calcifediol, though cholecalciferol, in a sub-lingual supplement like the BetterYou sprays, is also highly absorbable. We recommend checking your levels before starting a supplement as high vitamin D can be associated with calcification in our blood vessels.

• Beetroot - very rich in lots of nutrients which are fantastic for helping to regulate blood pressure. You can either drink beetroot juice or include as much of it as you fancy in your food. It's great in stews, you could try pickling or fermenting it at home and it's great in chocolate cakes and brownies. Just saying... Beetroot is also great at supporting your overall cardiovascular health because it boosts our levels of nitric oxide which acts as a vasodilator and supports vascular tone.

• Celery - as above for beetroot, celery is full of nutrients which support healthy blood pressure. A couple of raw stalks each day make a good snack with hummus or peanut butter, add it to a soffritto mix when you're making soups etc.

• Aged Black Garlic - lowers both systolic and diastolic pressure because it increases nitric oxide and improves vasodilation. Avoid if you have any liver issues.

• Nettle tea - wonderful tonic and overall re-mineraliser. To be avoided, or at least discussed with your consultant if you have diagnosed kidney or heart problems though, as it can be too high in potassium for your needs in that instance.

• Hibiscus tea - can help by being vasodilatory (relaxing your blood vessels) and because it has anti inflammatory properties. Works on both systolic and diastolic pressure.

• Hawthorn tea - has a mild vasodilatory action and also calms the nervous system. Best on systolic pressure.

• Magnesium - specifically magnesium taurate or magnesium glycinate depending on how much stress is playing a factor in your blood pressure. Taurate has vasodilatory properties and supports overall cardiovascular wellbeing, glycinate supports the nervous system and can help when stress and lack of sleep are part of the picture. Magnesium in and of itself is known as nature's relaxant (both muscular and emotional) and it supports over 300 functions in the body, it's one of the main minerals powering your liver, muscles, neurotransmitters, hormones and many more things. It's also more challenging for us to absorb depending on our gut health and in the Western diet, we are a little lacking in sources of magnesium. Especially if we're not eating much whole food in our week.

• CoQ10 - not a huge impact but definitely supportive. CoQ10 is a potent antioxidant and helps to improve blood vessel function as well as being extremely protective for your heart (it's one of the main cellular energy sources for the heart and is found in the richest concentrations in the body in the heart and gums). Also good on systolic pressure.

• Cordyceps - known for its ability to support kidney function and liver health.

To use any herbal tea therapeutically, make sure you brew them in something covered for 5-10 minutes. A tea pot is perfect, a travel mug with the lid on is also great. If you have neither to hand, a saucer or side plate over the top of your mug will do the job just fine!

A small caveat for you; if you are currently taking blood pressure medication, please discuss starting a new supplement with your pharmacist, GP or Consultant. As all of the above can have an additive effect on top of blood pressure medication (and some of them may not be compatible with your medication at all), a cautious approach is needed. Just in case the scales are tipped too far in the opposite direction and you end up being scraped off the floor by friends and loved ones because you're getting lightheaded when you stand up too fast!

One final point of caution - Liquorice.

Yes we know you either love it or hate it. It's possibly the original marmite! In these circumstances, 'hate it' is absolutely no problem at all. Continue to avoid it! However, if you like liquorice, please be aware that it has a pretty huge impact on your blood pressure. People have been known to end up in dire straits in the hospital because they didn't realise this and ate an entire bag to themselves.

You will find it sneakily hiding in herbal teas as a sweetener and we advise caution with this as well. No more than 2 cups per day, and don't brew it strong if you have any concerns regarding your blood pressure. Leave it to steam into the air and take the teabag out once it's stewed sufficiently.

As it's also high in potassium, it is another one to be avoided by those with kidney issues and heart problems.

So, after all that, if you have any burning questions or want to have a chat about things which might help you, please poke your head in the shop and ask! We're always delighted to help you wherever we can.

Also, if you'd like a bit of a breakdown around the different types of blood pressure medication, how they work and what supplements and foods can produce a very similar effect, like this post and we'll put something together if there's enough of a call for it!

*We promise we will put together a post about histamine and it's many, many impacts in the body very soon! Trust us, it will surprise you.