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The American Heart Associationdescribes resistant hypertensionas high blood pressure that can’t be managed with a diuretic and at least two other high blood pressure medications.The organization estimates that 20-30% of people with high blood pressure have resistant hypertension that doesn’t respond positively to medication. Here’s the good news: a recent study has shown that there are three pretty affordable lifestyle changes thatcanhelp improve resistant hypertension: healthy eating, aerobic exercise and weight loss.
The study, which was published in the American Heart Association’s journalCirculationthis week, is the first to look specifically at the impact of lifestyle changes in patients with resistant hypertension. Researchers studied 140 people with an average age of 63, all of whom had a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg or higher despite regularly taking a diuretic and two other medications. The participants were split into two groups: one that received one-time guidance on eating healthier and exercising more at the start, and a second group that received weekly dietary and exercise advice. Both groups saw improvement in their systolic blood pressure (that’s the number on top of the fraction).
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Systolic blood pressure represents the pressure exerted against artery walls as your heart beats, and the American Heart Association says it’s “recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease for adults ages 50 and older.” The group of participants with weekly health guidance saw a 12-point decrease in their systolic blood pressure over the four months, and the group that received one-time advice also saw a 7-point decrease—which is pretty good news for folks who can’t head to a four-month wellness retreat ASAP.
The healthy diet that the participants followed was the DASH diet—or theDietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet. The DASH eating pattern lays out how many servings of the major food groups—like grains, fruits and vegetables—you should eat each day. It also limits sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day and sets limits on how many servings of added sugar you should eat each week. The DASH diet, like the Mediterranean diet, is sustainable and easy to follow because it focuses on balancing your eating pattern rather than cutting out entire food groups. Plus, the DASH diet doesn’t limit your calorie intake, so you can still shape the diet to fit your lifestyle.
7-Day DASH Diet Meal Plan
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