Hypertension
Arterial hypertension is an extremely common disease in industrialized countries (it affects about 20% of the population), while its spread in developing areas seems extremely limited; therefore, a similar distribution of hypertension suggests that the major etiopathological causes are ENVIRONMENTAL (lifestyle, foods, drinks, level of physical activity, body mass index, distribution of body fat, etc.), possibly AGGRAVATED by family or genetic predispositions.
Hypertension could be defined as a CONSTANT (and not occasional) alteration of the blood circulation in which the arterial pressure is extraordinarily HIGH (diastolic> 90 mmHg and / or systolic> 140mmHg) compared to normal physiological standards .
With regards to ENVIRONMENTAL risk factors, we recall once again that these are habits and behaviors that are determinant for the onset and maintenance of hypertension, but more importantly, they are easily manageable and / or modifiable by hypertension.
The choice of foods constitutes a fundamental element in the therapy of hypertension; it is a real "nutritional therapy" that plays a role comparable to the pharmacological treatment of hypertension. A good diet guide against hypertension and other dysmetabolic complications, in addition to the simple sodium diet, is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH); the foods contained in this dietary scheme represent many of the rules for a healthy and correct diet.
Low-salt diet
The hyposodic diet, as the term itself says, is a TOTALLY dietary regime devoid of cooking salt (NaCl - sodium chloride); to correct the nutritional habits of hypertensives (and make them more comprehensible) it is fundamental to distinguish the sodium intake naturally contained in foods compared to that added with food handling. However, through ONE simple recommendation it is possible to group together all the fundamental indications of the hyposodic diet, namely: eliminating foods containing added salt .
This means: abolishing the addition of seasoning salt (in pasta water, broth, dishes, side dishes, etc.); but also to abolish bagged foods (sausage, salami, mortadella, etc.), salted meats (ham, speck, etc.), aged cheeses (pecorino, provola, etc.), salted foods (sardines, capers, etc.), foods in brine (olives, peppers, etc.), dried fruit (pistachios, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.), junk-food (fried corn, snacks, etc.).
NB. Reducing dietary sodium to 100 mmol / day (= 6 g of sodium chloride) allows the pressure to be reduced by 2-8 mmHg, however, combining it with a discrete weight reduction it is possible to obtain much more important results.
Useful foods
According to DASH, replacing foods of poor nutritional quality with foods useful in case of hypertension involves the consumption of:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, replacing preserved (salted or pickled) and / or pre-cooked products (containing sodium glutamate)
- Foods containing unsaturated plant lipids, or better polyunsaturated fats, to replace foods characterized by animal fats, vegetable hydrogenated (trans) and cholesterol
- Poor sodium water to replace alcoholic and sugary drinks
Omega 3
It is also advisable to supplement the DASH diet with other foods rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are very useful in case of hypertension:
- Rich seasoning oils ESPECIALLY of alpha linolenic acid (ALA, 18: 3, ω ‰ 3) such as: linseed oil, soybean oil etc.
- Dishes based on blue fish, therefore rich in docosahexanoic acid (DHA, 22: 6, ω ‰ 3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20: 5, ω ‰ 3) such as: alice, sardine, alaccia, herring, needle, mackerel, lanzardo, bonito, tuna, etc.
In that, among the functions of omega 3 fatty acids, are:
- Antihypertensive (DHA)
- Antiarrhythmic because it stabilizes the heart rhythm and lowers the risk of heart attack (EPA)
- Antithrombotic for contrast with platelet aggregation (EPA)
alcohol
Ethyl alcohol is a vasodilator and a strongly dehydrating molecule; these two characteristics have led many specialists to advise NOT to abolish foods, or rather alcoholic beverages, but it should be borne in mind that alcohol abuse is associated in a very frequent way with the metabolic syndrome (in which the 'hypertension). Moderate use is allowed (1 or 2 alcoholic units per day [1 or 2 glasses of 125ml red wine]) only if the pathological condition of the hypertensive patient DOES NOT suggest any tendency to abuse.
