What are the risks?

With high blood pressure comes additional strain on organs including your heart, eyes, brain and kidneys. If your blood pressure stays high, you may have an increased risk of other complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease or vascular dementia¹.

Hypertension can go unnoticed for a long time, and is often picked up incidentally. This is because there are often no symptoms indicating a problem until it starts to cause symptoms such as blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath and nose bleeds². Hypertension can be considered a silent killer, in fact, around half of all heart attacks and stroke are attributable to high blood pressure.

So as you have probably gathered, in order to promote a longer and healthier life, we want to keep our blood pressure within a normal, healthy range. Unfortunately, as we get older, our blood vessels naturally lose some of their ability to stretch to allow blood flow, meaning our risk for hypertension increases. But it’s certainly not all about age! There are many diet and lifestyle factors that have a huge influence on either promoting or preventing chronic hypertension³. 

In short, the answer is yes. A 2014 meta-analysis (a study that combines the results of multiple scientific studies) found that vegetarians had lower blood pressure than meat-eaters, indicating that a plant-based diet is beneficial for regulating blood pressure⁴. Another article published in 2017 reviewed the evidence and concluded that ‘a diet that is mostly or exclusively plant-based appears prudent for the prevention and treatment of hypertension’⁵.

A diet that has been specifically designed to support lowering blood pressure is called the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and it has been found to lower blood pressure by up to 11mmHg⁶. The DASH diet is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and refined or ‘white’ carbohydrates, and high in plant foods and low-fat dairy. The DASH diet may provide a good approach for those who are not ready to completely remove animal products from their diet, but with the research indicating that the more plants foods and the less meat and dairy, the better chance of reducing blood pressure and risk of heart disease, a fully plant-based diet could be the best way to go. In fact, the DASH diet was designed as a ‘palatable’ way to reduce blood pressure for the general population, not because it holds any further benefits from including animal-based foods⁷. 

So how does eating more plants change the pressure in our blood vessels? There are a number of different mechanisms thought to link a plant based diet with improved blood pressure readings. These include improved vasodilation (the ability for the blood vessels to increase in diameter and allow more blood flow), the anti-inflammatory aspect of whole, plant foods, the superior anti-oxidant content, the potassium and nitrate content of plant-centred diets, improved insulin sensitivity, decreased blood viscosity, and modification of the gut microbiota, among others⁵.

If you are moving towards a more plant-based diet, you may also find that you lose weight. This is additionally beneficial as there is a strong link between blood pressure and a high body weight. A weight loss of just 5-10% of your starting weight is clinically significant in improving health³. But everyone is different, so you may wish to consult with a health care provider to ensure you are approaching weight loss in a way that suits your individual needs.

Should we be concerned about salt?

Alcohol

As with most conditions, alcohol can worsen your blood pressure readings and damage your heart. The recommendation for alcohol intake for both men and women is 14 units per week (about 6 pints of beer or 6 glasses of wine). If you drink, spread your alcohol intake over a few days, but try to have several alcohol-free days each week too^3,9. If you are struggling with your blood pressure, limiting alcohol as far as you can is probably a wise decision.

Caffeine

Caffeine from tea, coffee and cola could be a contributor to raised blood pressure. If you regularly consume these, reducing them gradually in your diet can support improved blood pressure readings⁹.

Stress

Stress is often part and parcel of everyday, modern life. But finding a way to respond and mitigate the impact of stress is beneficial to health and normalising blood pressure¹⁰. Relaxation techniques such a breathing deeply, meditation, yoga, or going for a walk or swim can help reduce stress. Having a good sleep routine can also help with stress and also food choices (read more about nutrition and sleep here).

Exercise

Keeping active in your daily life will support a healthier blood pressure⁹. As a general rule, aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of movement each week; this seems like a lot, but you can split this down into 5x 30 minutes or even 15 x 10 minutes. Aim to do something that makes you feel warmer, breathe harder, and your heart beat faster.

Rosie's top tips for hypertension

• Include more plant foods in your diet (here’s how)
• Swap white carbohydrates for whole grains
• Limit or completely avoid animal foods
• Cook from scratch
• Reduce added salt
• Monitor and limit your alcohol and caffeine intakes
• Move your body
• Take part in activities you enjoy and help you relax
• Focus on getting enough sleep

Don’t forget to follow your doctors instructions and advice when it comes to blood pressure. Medications are an important and useful first-line tool to reduce risk the of complications. If you are making lifestyle changes alongside medication, keep an eye on your readings and your doctor informed as your medication may need adapting.