Why olive oil and a healthy diet can prevent hypertension

The blood pressure It is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries, which are large vessels through which blood circulates in the body. Two guideline values ​​are measured for blood pressure. The first, the tension systolic, which corresponds to the moment when the heart contracts or beats. The second, the tension diastolicwhich represents the pressure exerted on the vessels when the heart relaxes between beats.

When that blood pressure is too high, we talk about hypertensiona serious disorder that significantly increases the risk of heart disease, encephalopathy, kidney disease and other diseases.

Let’s put figures to hypertension. According to American Heart Association (AHA), blood pressure is normal if it is below 120/80 mm Hg. High blood pressure is a systolic pressure of 130 or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 or higher, which remains high over time, these specialists point out.

The danger of misdiagnosis

According to calculations of the World Health Organization (WHO), in the world there are 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 years with hypertension and that the majority of them (about two-thirds) live in low- and middle-income countries. In our country, it is estimated that there may be more than 18 million hypertensive patients of varying degrees, which represents 38% of Spaniards.

Especially striking is the lack of diagnosis of this serious disorder. According to health authorities, 46% of hypertensive adults are unaware that they have this condition. In Spain, according to Quirónsalud, four out of ten people are unaware that they have hypertension. The reason is that high blood pressure usually has no signs or symptoms. That is why it is so dangerous.

world hypertension day

With motif of the world hypertension day, which is celebrated this May 17, the health authorities insist on prevention. There are risk factors that increase your chances of developing high blood pressure. Some can be controlled, others cannot (family history, race, aging, sex, chronic diseases…).

Between the controllable risk factorsThese include: smoking, diabetes, obesity or being overweight, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet (high in sodium, low in potassium, high alcohol intake…). From this long list, the head of the Cardiology service at the Quirónsalud hospital in Valencia, Catheline Lauwers, highlights three recommendations to prevent hypertension: one diet heart-healthy, exercise regularly, and use olive oilIn addition to not smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption.

Among the heart-healthy eating guidelines, the preferential consumption of virgin olive oil stands out. Some studies point in that direction. Scientists from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) were able to describe the molecular mechanisms that explain why diet enriched with virgin olive oil It is able to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

The work, published in Hypertension, found that this type of fat is capable of modifying the structure and lipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane towards normality or Red blood cellsaltered in these patients.

This information does not replace in any case the diagnosis or prescription by a doctor. It is important to go to a specialist when symptoms appear in case of illness and never self-medicate.


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