What many do not know is that high blood pressure or hypertension is largely a condition caused by poor lifestyle management. That’s why my first control for a just-diagnosed blood pressure patient is not about prescribing medication but an intensive two to three weeks of diet therapy and exercise. You wouldn’t believe it but 30 per cent of my patients get back into range through lifestyle and diet changes. I go for medication when the blood pressure doesn’t go down despite making determined lifestyle corrections.
When it comes to making dietary interventions, a recent study confirmed what we had known about for a long time. That having tomatoes can help you reduce your blood pressure. The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that those who ate the most tomatoes or tomato products every day lowered their risk of high blood pressure by more than a third. People without high blood pressure, who ate the most tomatoes or tomato-based foods, had a 36 per cent lower risk of developing hypertension than those who ate the least. In people who already had high blood pressure, especially those in stage one hypertension, moderate consumption of tomatoes was associated with a reduction in blood pressure too. Before this study, the American Heart Association had also recommended that tomatoes be included in the diet to lower blood pressure.
HOW TOMATO LOWERS BP
So what are the protective effects of tomatoes? High blood pressure is caused by increased uptake of sodium in the diet. That’s why we ask patients to limit salt intake. Your total amount of sodium per day should be no more than 1,500-2,000 milligrams (mg). Now sodium’s effect on blood pressure can be countered by potassium and having foods rich in them. Tomato is an easily available source of potassium.
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