New research sponsored by Canadian government agencies seems to indicate that a specific protein found in common yellow peas has the potential to lower blood pressure and improve kidney function in rats.
Over a period of eight weeks rats with kidney disease were fed a special mixture of purified yellow pea proteins called “pea protein hydrolysate”. By the end of the study, the rats blood pressure dropped and their urine production, a measure of kidney function, improved. A trial involving humans is now underway.
Researchers note that the pea protein goes through …

A slender neck and trim waist are typically considered attractive- but did you know that these characteristics may also indicate a healthier heart? Researchers have unveiled evidence that abdominal and neck fat can be tied to blood pressure, cholesterol and overall cardiovascular health.
Researchers from the Framingham Heart Study, who presented their findings at an American Heart Association meeting, studied over 3,000 men and women with an average age of 51. They found that for about every 3cm of neck circumference there was a noticeable decrease in the amount of good …

If you are using medications to control your hypertension, make sure you are fully aware of their side effects. In 2004 the American College of Sports Medicine wrote a full report on exercise guidelines for hypertensives. Included in the report were the following warnings for hypertensives on medications:
• Antihypertensive medications such as beta blockers and diuretics impair the ability to regulate body temperature during exercise in hot and/or humid environments
and provoke hypoglycemia (88,206). Thus, people using these medications should be educated on the signs/symptoms of heat illness, the role of …

New research seems to show a tie between low blood pressure and depression as well as high blood pressure and anxiety. It also seems to reveal that antidepressants can raise blood pressure.
Depression was long believed to actually raise blood pressure, but a study published in Hypertension was able to show that it is most likely actually the antidepressant drugs, particularly tricyclic antidepressants, raised blood pressure and increased the risk of hypertension. Over 2,600 participants were used in the study and after accounting for variables such as age, sex …

Research indicates that hypertensive children (those with high blood pressure) may suffer from a decreased ability to think and remember; especially if the child is obese.
Marc Lande, M.D., a pediatric nephrologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Golisano Children’s Hospitaland, took 32 hypertensives aged 10-18 years and paired them with non-hypertensive children based on a number of characteristics, such as age, weight, sex, race, IQ and socioeconomic level. Based on a series of surveys completed by the children’s parents, it became apparent that the children with high blood …