Diet and its effect on blood pressure:
Obesity, high salt intake, and the consumption of alcohol are leading factors in high blood pressure. The effect of diet on blood pressure was put to the test. Research of 133 adults with hypertension and 326 without hypertension showed that a diet low in both saturated and unsaturated fats, yet rich in fruits and vegetables, can greatly lower bp. As a control, the subjects were first provided a typical American diet for 3 weeks with average fruit, vegetable and fat intake. Following a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products, bp in subjects without hypertension improved from an average bp of 131.3/84.7 at baseline to an average of 125.8/81.7. In those with hypertension (bp over 140/90), systolic and diastolic bp improved by 11.4 and 5.5 points respectively over the control diet. (7)