You can reduce your chance of developing high blood pressure by consuming less high-calorie, processed, or high-sodium foods. Your risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke can rise if you have high blood pressure. You can still enjoy these meals while protecting the health of your heart if you consume them in moderation. Briefly, the mechanisms of action through which garlic influences blood pressure involve two main signalling pathways via nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulphide (H 2S) production ( 16). Garlic, a sulphur donor, provides an important component for the trans-sulphuration pathway, which is linked to the methylation pathway, with both requiring several co-factors, such as vitamin B12, folate, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6. In addition, known genetic variants for the cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) enzymes influence the efficiency of H 2S production, and thus are considered to play an important role in the susceptibility to developing hypertension, in conjunction with deficiencies in B vitamins. We have previously identified a potentially large proportion (80%) of healthy adults in Australia with sub-optimal vitamin B12 levels (<500 pg/l) ( 17). Therefore, deficiencies in co-factors, such as vitamin B12, may explain the individual responsiveness of blood pressure to garlic observed in our clinical trials.

Furthermore, as high blood pressure has been linked to the dysbiosis of gut microbiota, both in animal and human studies, with a significant lower microbial richness and diversity in hypertensive subjects compared to normotensive subjects ( 18), we investigated the effects of Kyolic garlic on the microbiome in our most recent clinical study, the GarGIC trial ( 8). In general, a higher relative abundance/bacterial mass/microbial richness and a diversity of microbial species is associated with better health ( 18– 20).The medicine will not necessarily make you feel any different, but this does not mean it's not working. if your blood pressure is consistently above 140/90mmHg (or 135/85mmHg at home) and your risk of other problems is high – you'll be offered medicine to lower your blood pressure, in addition to lifestyle changes Not all participants of the trials included in the meta-analysis on systolic hypertension also suffered from diastolic hypertension. Eight out of the 12 trials involving 374 subjects met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis of diastolic hypertension ( 7, 8, 28– 30, 32, 34, 35). Common examples are amlodipine, felodipine and nifedipine. Other medicines, such as diltiazem and verapamil, are also available. Studies have demonstrated that there is an association between high stress levels and an increased risk of heart disease. Even though high stress levels alone are not the cause of these conditions, high levels of stress can also make people more likely to engage in harmful behaviors such as comfort eating, drinking more alcohol, smoking, and engaging in less physical activity. There are some simple lifestyle modifications that you can do that may help you cope with stress even though we can't always control or modify what happens in our busy lives. Yoga, meditation, writing down your thoughts, and talking to loved ones are a few examples. For our best mindfulness and meditation advice, see our previous blog.

Your doctor will carry out some blood and urine tests, and ask questions about your health to determine your risk of other problems: Both what you eat and how much of it matter. Try to limit the amount of food you eat at each meal by consuming more low-calorie and nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables. The high mineral and vitamin content of fruits and vegetables promotes heart health. B1, which is present in foods like cauliflower, oranges, potatoes, asparagus, kale, and many others, helps to support healthy heart function. Coinciding with Valentine’s Day, February marks National Heart Month. The aim is to raise awareness of heart and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and educate people in the steps that they can take to improve their hearts health – ultimately reducing the risk of heart disease.For the meta-analysis of the effects of garlic on blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, we included randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trials on garlic for blood pressure with a minimum of 2 months duration, identified in previous meta-analyses: Specifically, Silagy and Neil, 1994 ( 26), Reinhart et al, 2008 ( 2), Ried et al, 2008 ( 1), Rohner et al, 2014 ( 3) and Ried, 2016 ( 4). We extended the search in Medline for trials published between 1955 and December, 2018 with no language restrictions, using the search terms ‘garlic’ AND ‘blood pressure’ OR ‘hypertension’. With its prebiotic properties, and the source of intracellular H 2S ( 16, 21), garlic has the potential to modulate the gut microbiota ( 22), and to restore the microbiota biofilm and mucus production ( 23). The timeframe for changes to be observed in the composition of the gut microbiota with dietary supplementation is relatively short, as shown in a 4-week study of patients with irritable bowel syndrome taking probiotics daily ( 24). In addition, the consumption of probiotics has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure, in particular in trials of >8 weeks duration (meta-analysis of 9 RCTs involving 534 patients) ( 25).