High blood pressure occurs when the pressure exerted on the walls of your arteries exceeds a safe range. Blood pressure is divided into two readings: systolic and diastolic. Systolic pressure, the top reading, measures the pressure produced when your heart beats; diastolic pressure measures the pressure produced when your heart rests. A reading in excess of 140 over 90 represents high blood pressure, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Wheat germ and lecithin contain nutrients that demonstrate benefits for high blood pressure patients. Speak to your doctor or health care provider about wheat germ and lecithin if you have high blood pressure.
Causes
The onset of high blood pressure or hypertension relates to a number of factors. In some cases, no known cause explains high blood pressure; this is known as essential hypertension. Secondary high blood pressure stems from certain medications, pregnancy, kidney or adrenal gland problems, an overactive thyroid gland or other lifestyle factors. These include excessive salt in the diet, obesity, diabetes, smoking, stress and anxiety and too much alcohol. Some of the more serious complications associated with high blood pressure include heart attack, stroke, heart failure and vision problems.
Fiber
Wheat germ is an excellent source of fiber. A 1-cup serving provides 15.2 grams of fiber. Fiber demonstrates the ability to lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, according to a 2001 study. Researchers from the University of Western Australia supplemented hypertensive subjects with 12 grams of soluble fiber over an eight-week period and found that systolic blood pressure lowered significantly. The results of this study appeared in the journal “Hypertension.”
Vitamin E
Lecithin provides a good source of vitamin E. One tablespoon of lecithin nets 1.11 milligrams of vitamin E and this important antioxidant demonstrates a stabilizing effect on blood pressure, according to recent research. A review conducted by University of Southern Queensland researchers in Australia determined that vitamin E normalized blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of high-risk health conditions including hypertension, obesity and insulin resistance. This review appeared in the July issue of the journal “Current Pharmaceutical Design.”
Folate
Wheat germ offers a good amount of the B-vitamin folate. Research shows that folate can minimize the risk of high blood pressure onset, particularly in women under age 45. A 2005 study examined the folate levels of 93,803 women between the ages of 27 and 44 and found that the ones daily ingesting a minimum of 1,000 micrograms of dietary folate demonstrated significantly lower risk of hypertension. This research appeared in the January issue of the “Journal of the American Medical Association.”
References
- "University of Maryland Medical Center"; Hypertension; Steven Kang, M.D.; April 2009
- PubMed Health; Hypertension; David C. Dugdale, III, M.D., et al.; June 2011
- USDA National Nutrient Database; Wheat germ, Crude
- "Hypertension"; Dietary Protein and Soluble Fiber Reduce Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Treated Hypertensives; Valerie Burke, et al.; 2001
- Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Vitamin E
- “Current Pharmaceutical Design”; Nutrapharmacology of Tocotrienols for Metabolic Syndrome; W. Weng-Yew, et al.; July 2011
- “Journal of the American Medical Association”; Folate Intake and the Risk of Incident Hypertension Among U.S. Women; J.P. Forman, et al.; January 2005
