Is Your BP High? How’s Your Insulin? by Joan Kent, PhD

 

This brief post is just a quick reminder about your metabolic health. Metabolic conditions comprise diabetes, hypertension, high triglycerides, cholesterol, arterial plaque, heart disease, cancers, and PCOS.

 

High blood pressure

 

Hypertension is common, so let’s look at that. We usually hear that we should limit sodium if we have blood pressure concerns.

 

But high insulin can trigger hypertension through several mechanisms. Below are only 3.

 

• High insulin promotes growth of the endothelial cells that line the arteries. That raises blood pressure, just as using a garden hose with a smaller diameter increases water pressure.

 

• High insulin promotes production of serotonin. Serotonin is an important brain chemical that is also a vasoconstrictor. Vasoconstriction increases blood pressure as described above.

 

• High insulin promotes Series 2 prostaglandins. These inflammatory hormones raise blood pressure and more.

 

How Can You Lower BP?

 

If you have hypertension and your doctor has told you to limit salt, fine. Here are 3 other nutrition guidelines that can help — possibly more than restricting salt.

 

1. Eat good fats. Examples:  walnuts; fish & fish oil; dark green, leafy vegetables; black currant seed/oil; flax seed/oil; hemp seed/oil; pumpkin seeds

 

2. Eat better carbs. Vegetables, for example, are carbs. Eat LOTS of them!

 

3. Don’t eat starches alone. Always combine them with protein and healthful fats.

 

If you have high blood pressure or any other metabolic conditions, I would love to help you. My clients who have these conditions get excellent results. Just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it is to start reversing your metabolic issues and feeling great.

 

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar:  7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.