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It has been suggested that adding one tinned food to your diet could reduce blood pressure because of its calcium content. High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart
disease. Also known as hypertension, it occurs when the force of the blood pushing against one's arteries is too high. There are several risk factors that can increase or reduce
someone’s risk of developing high blood pressure, most notably their diet. According to dietitian Veronica Rouse, consuming tinned sardines is one element to introduce to one’s diet in order
to mitigate the likelihood of developing the condition. She told EatingWell: “Canned sardines are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and calcium, both beneficial for blood pressure. “Omega 3s
help lower blood pressure by reducing inflammation, and calcium is an important mineral in the DASH diet, an eating pattern designed to lower blood pressure.” However, it isn’t just tinned
sardines that could help reduce blood pressure, bananas and broccoli could too. The reason for this is because of their high potassium content. According to experts from the University of
Waterloo in Canada, increasing the ratio of dietary potassium to sodium (often found in salt) could be an effective way to reduce blood pressure. Their findings, published in the American
Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, shine a light on the changing face of diets and how important dietary ratios are in our day to day diets. Speaking about the matter, Dr Anita Layton
explained that eating more bananas and broccoli could have a greater impact than just reducing salt intake. She explained: “Usually, when we have high blood pressure, we are advised to eat
less salt. “Our research suggests that adding more potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas or broccoli, might have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure than just
cutting sodium.” What’s more, study leader Melissa Stadt added that one of the potential reasons for the positive impact of potassium was to do with how cavemen ate thousands of years ago
verses how we eat today, reports the Daily Express. She explained: “Early humans ate lots of fruits and vegetables, and as a result, our body's regulatory systems may have evolved to
work best with a high potassium, low sodium diet. “Today, western diets tend to be much higher in sodium and lower in potassium. That may explain why high blood pressure is found mainly in
industrialised societies, not in isolated societies.” According to Blood Pressure UK, around one in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure, but claim that around half are
undiagnosed, equating to aroud five million people in England alone. To learn more about high blood pressure, visit the NHS website.