High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a common health problem that can lead to serious conditions like heart disease and kidney failure.
Doctors have long advised patients to eat more fruits and vegetables, and now a new study provides strong evidence that this advice really works.
The study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, followed patients for five years to see how their diets affected their health.
It found that eating more fruits and vegetables not only helped the kidneys but also lowered blood pressure and reduced the risk of heart disease.
Many people with high blood pressure are given medications to help manage it. However, even with these treatments, problems like chronic kidney disease and heart-related deaths are still on the rise. In fact, heart disease is the top cause of death for people with chronic kidney disease. Clearly, medication alone is not enough, and a better approach is needed.
The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a well-known eating plan that encourages more fruits and vegetables. It has been proven to lower blood pressure and is recommended as a first step in treating high blood pressure.
However, it is often not prescribed by doctors, and even when it is, many patients do not follow it strictly. This is unfortunate, because research shows that diets high in fruits and vegetables help reduce blood pressure, protect the kidneys, lower heart disease risk, and decrease the chances of dying from heart problems.
Dr. Donald Wesson, one of the lead researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, has studied how the kidneys deal with acid in the body. He explained that when we eat a lot of animal-based foods, the body produces more acid. The kidneys must then work harder to remove this acid. Over time, this can harm the kidneys.
In contrast, fruits and vegetables help lower the amount of acid in the body. In his earlier studies with animals and people, Dr. Wesson found that plant-based diets are good for kidney health, while diets heavy in animal products can be damaging.
To see if this effect could be used to help people with high blood pressure and kidney problems, the researchers conducted a clinical trial.
They selected 153 people with high blood pressure and a condition called macroalbuminuria, which means they had very high levels of protein in their urine—a clear sign of kidney disease.
These patients were split into three groups. One group added 2 to 4 cups of fruits and vegetables to their daily meals. Another group took baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) tablets twice a day to help reduce acid in the body. The third group received standard medical care.
After five years, both the fruit and vegetable group and the baking soda group showed improvements in kidney health. But only the group that ate fruits and vegetables also had lower blood pressure and reduced signs of heart disease.
This means that while both treatments helped the kidneys, only fruits and vegetables provided full protection for the heart and blood vessels.
Another important finding was that patients who ate more fruits and vegetables needed fewer medications to control their blood pressure and protect their hearts. This shows that a healthy diet can reduce the need for drugs.
Dr. Maninder Kahlon, another researcher from the study, said that fruits and vegetables achieved better results than baking soda and did so with fewer medications. This makes them a smart first step in treating high blood pressure. Rather than starting with drugs, doctors should begin treatment with a healthy diet and only add medicine if needed.
Dr. Wesson also emphasized that while it can be difficult to get patients to stick to diet changes, these changes are highly effective. He urged doctors to make more effort to include healthy food choices in their treatment plans. He also encouraged making fruits and vegetables more available to people who are at higher risk of kidney and heart disease.
The researchers also recommend that anyone with high blood pressure ask their doctor to check for kidney problems using a simple test called the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). This can help identify early signs of kidney damage and prevent future heart disease.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that turmeric and vitamin D may boost blood pressure control in type 2 diabetes and scientists find link between blood pressure drugs and bowel diseases.
For more information about blood pressure, please read studies about high blood pressure treatment: ARBs vs. ACE inhibitors and blood pressure response to exercise can predict future heart disease.
The study is published in The American Journal of Medicine.
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