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Most patients with mild to moderate hypertension can continue to drink moderately. But excessive amounts of alcohol can result in elevated blood pressure. Heavy drinking also lessens inhibitions and may lead to behaviours including overeating that impede blood pressure control.
If you enjoy a drink now and then, do so in moderation. Don’t drink more than the equivalent of 30 ml of ethanol, pure alcohol, daily. That comes out to 55 ml of 100-proof whisky or other distilled spirits, 225 ml of standard table wine, or 680 ml of beer.
Alcohol also provides a lot of empty kilojoules. A 340 ml bottle of beer packs about 630 kilojoules; a 115 ml glass of wine has about 336 kilojoules. And 55 ml of gin, whisky or scotch contains about 715 kilojoules. That really adds up over the course of the week, and makes weight control much more difficult.
Life is often a matter of give and take. If you enjoy that glass of wine with dinner, or that bottle of beer during the football game on TV, just remember that you are consuming kilojoules. Compensate for that intake by cutting back on other non-essential kilojoules.
Of course, your own program of hypertension control may call for even more stringent alcohol restriction. By all means discuss this with your doctor. He may suggest abstinence for a while. Then you might be able to add back a drink now and then and see whether you can maintain control.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

Comments (0) Jun 02 2010

A large number of studies, both in America and around the world, have shown that obesity and hypertension are closely linked. The more weight one gains, the higher the blood pressure goes. Conversely, by losing that extra weight one can achieve a significant reduction in pressure. Try to get as close to your ideal body weight as possible. Yes, it’s hard to do at first, but it’s really worth the effort.
A recent study at the University of Mississippi has demonstrated that weight loss can be as effective as drugs in controlling mild hypertension. The 800 patients involved had diastolic pressures of 90 to 100. Some received a weight-reduction diet while others were given antihypertensive drugs. After six months, weight loss exceeding 4.5 kg equalled the benefits of the medication, with patients exhibiting a 12.1 drop in diastolic blood pressure. According to Dr Herbert Langford, the threshold of benefit appears to be 4.5 kg of weight loss. Of course the more the better, down to ideal body weight.
Dr Langford also found that weight loss boosted the effectiveness of drugs given to patients. Those losing more than 4.5 kg while on medications saw a fall of 18.6 in diastolic pressure.
Interestingly, the benefit of weight loss was found even in those patients who did not significantly restrict their alcohol or sodium consumption. This demonstrates that weight loss alone can be responsible for impressive hypertension control.
What’s the best way to achieve weight loss? Reducing the total fat intake, which is also the best way to control cholesterol, is the most effective path to permanent weight control. Fat represents the richest source of kilojoules in the diet. Simply put, if you don’t eat fat, you won’t be fat. An excellent way to both limit fat intake and cut total kilojoules for the day is through a sound program of meal replacement.
Weight reduction provides a number of benefits beyond hypertension control. You’ll see an automatic reduction in cholesterol levels. Diabetes is more easily controlled, and in many cases the need for medication is greatly lessened or even eliminated. And, very importantly, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself. Since self-esteem is such a vital part of recovery from heart disease, that element cannot be overemphasised.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

Comments (0) Jun 02 2010