Chris Evans reveals his wife gave him a blood pressure monitor
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Around a third of British adults have high blood pressure, according to Blood Pressure UK. If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of a number of serious health conditions. Research suggests that some vitamins may help lower it. The NHS advises all adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years.
A systematic review published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine looks at the effects of vitamin C supplementation on essential hypertension.
The Mayo Clinic states: “For most adults, there’s no identifiable cause of high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure, called primary (essential) hypertension, tends to develop gradually over many years.”
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has several important functions, including helping to protect cells and keeping them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, and helping with wound healing.
The vitamin is found in many fresh fruits and vegetables and is an essential water-soluble antioxidant in the human body.
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The review notes one in four adults worldwide suffers from high blood pressure, and this ratio is expected to increase to 29 percent by 2025.
It adds: “The prevalence of hypertension is 37.3 percent in developed countries and 22.9 percent in developing countries.
“Vitamin C supplementation resulted in a significant reduction of blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.”
The meta-analysis concludes that vitamin C supplementation “may play an important role” in reducing blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.
“However, in view of the current level of evidence, large-scale trials should be conducted, and attention should be paid to the evaluation of blood pressure variability.”
The NHS says: “Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.”
Diet is one of the most effective treatments for high blood pressure.
Some people with high blood pressure may also need to take one or more medicines to stop their blood pressure getting too high.
The NHS continues: “Blood pressure readings between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg could mean you’re at risk of developing high blood pressure if you do not take steps to keep your blood pressure under control.”
Nonetheless, having a raised blood pressure reading in one test does not necessarily mean you have high blood pressure, as blood pressure can fluctuate throughout the day.
The systolic pressure is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body. The diastolic pressure is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.
Your blood pressure is usually measured using a sphygmomanometer, a digital electronic monitor.
The NHS has outlined some other lifestyle changes which can help prevent and lower high blood pressure.
It says you should reduce the amount of salt you eat and have a generally healthy diet, cut back on alcohol, lose weight if you’re overweight, cut down on caffeine, and if you are a smoker you should stop smoking.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely has noticeable symptoms.
The NHS says that if you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend taking one or more medicines to keep it under control.
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