High blood pressure: best meat to lower your blood pressure reading

High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, can lead to all sorts of health conditions. For one, it can lead to a heart attack or, two, it could result in a stroke. Kidney failure,

heart failure and vascular dementia are also associated risks. Fortunately, one tasty and versatile piece of meat has been shown to lower blood pressure. Researchers in Japan conducted a

study to see if collagen – a protein found in chicken legs – could be broken up by the stomach into smaller proteins that lower blood pressure. Positively, the smaller proteins were found to

work akin to ACE inhibitors – a type of medication prescribed by doctors to manage high blood pressure. To test this theory further, the smaller proteins were then fed to rats whose blood

pressures were measured for a whole day. Blood Pressure UK does list other recommendations on how to help lower blood pressure readings. These include: * Eat less salt * Eat more fruit and

vegetables * Keep to the recommended daily alcohol limits * Keep active * Be a healthy weight * Take any blood pressure medicines or diabetes medication you have been given SALT The more

salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure will be. It causes the body to retain too much water, and can disturb how diuretic medication for high blood pressure works. An adult is

recommended to eat no more than 6g of salt per day. Blood Pressure UK add to stop using salt at the dinner table. DON'T MISS: There are already far too many ways hidden salt enters our

body through our diet. Did you know that salt is contained in biscuits, breakfast cereals and bread? Well, they are. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals

and fibre to keep your body in good condition. They also contain potassium, which helps balance out the negative effects of salt thus helping to lower your blood pressure. A mixture of at

least five different fruits and vegetables are best eaten every day – with each portion being about the same size as your fist. KEEP ACTIVE AND BE A HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT It’s true that

exercise will temporarily increase your blood pressure but, as soon as you stop the activity, your blood pressure should soon return to normal. How quickly blood pressure returns to normal

after exercising indicates how fit you are too – the quicker, the fitter. Aerobic exercises – swimming, walking, jogging and dancing – are considered the best exercises to help lower blood

pressure in the long term. BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINES Take any blood pressure medicines in the way in which they have been prescribed by a health professional.