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Hypertension: Making THESE changes in the diet can lower blood pressure, according to experts
Hypertension: Making THESE changes in the diet can lower blood pressure, according to experts

Time of India

time3 days ago

  • Health
  • Time of India

Hypertension: Making THESE changes in the diet can lower blood pressure, according to experts

A recent study highlights the significant benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for individuals with hypertension. The research demonstrates that incorporating more fruits and vegetables into one's diet can effectively lower blood pressure, improve kidney health, and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Unlike sodium bicarbonate, fruits and vegetables achieve these benefits while potentially reducing the need for medication. High blood pressure, aka hypertension, affects about 1.28 billion adults (aged 30–79) globally. Among these, about 46% are unaware that this condition exists, according to the WHO . High blood pressure is a silent killer and could lead to chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Certain factors increase the risk of hypertension; however, some of them are in our control, and one is diet. A 2024 study found that making certain dietary changes can lower blood pressure and improve kidney and heart health. The findings of the five-year interventional randomized control trial are published in The American Journal of Medicine . Watch what you eat Focusing on a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is crucial in the treatment of hypertension patients, according to doctors. Despite efforts, hypertension-related chronic kidney disease and its cardiovascular mortality are increasing. Heart disease is the number one reason that patients with chronic kidney disease die. So what should you eat to lower blood pressure? DASH. Yes, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, is proven to lower blood pressure. This is a flexible and balanced eating plan, that is rich in fruits and vegetables. It is the recommended first-line treatment for primary hypertension. Despite scientific evidence, the DASH diet is under-prescribed and under-implemented. 'As a nephrologist (kidney doctor), my acid-base laboratory studies ways by which the kidney removes acid from the blood and puts it into the urine. Our animal studies showed years ago that mechanisms used by the kidneys to remove acid from the blood can cause kidney injury if the animals were chronically (long-term) exposed to an acid-producing diet. Our patient studies showed similar findings: that is, an acid-producing diet (one high in animal products) was kidney-harmful, and one that is base-producing (one high in fruits and vegetables) is kidney-healthy. Other investigators showed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is heart-healthy. We hypothesized that one way that fruits and vegetables are both kidney- and heart-healthy is that they reduce the amount of acid in the diet and therefore the amount of acid that kidneys have to remove from the body,' Donald E. Wesson, MD, MBA, lead investigator Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, said, in a statement. The study To test the hypothesis, they conducted a study with participants who had hypertension, but not diabetes, and very high levels of urine albumin excretion (macroalbuminuria). Those with macroalbuminuria have chronic kidney disease, a high risk for the worsening of their kidney disease with time, and a high risk to subsequently developing cardiovascular diseases. The trial took over a five-year period, where the 153 participants with hypertension were divided into three groups: Study participants added 2-4 cups of base-producing fruits and vegetables in addition to their usual daily food intake Study participants were prescribed NaHCO3 (acid-reducing sodium bicarbonate, which is common baking soda) tablets in two daily doses of 4-5 650 mg tablets Study participants receiving standard medical care from primary care clinicians How diet plays a crucial role The findings of the study confirmed that consumption of fruits and vegetables and NaHCO3 improved kidney health, but only fruits and vegetables, and not NaHCO3, reduced blood pressure and improved indices of cardiovascular disease risk. 'Importantly, fruits and vegetables achieved the latter two benefits with lower doses of medication used to lower blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. This means that one can get the kidney health benefits with either fruits and vegetables or NaHCO3, but we get the blood pressure reduction and reduced cardiovascular disease risk with fruits and vegetables, but not with NaHCO3. This supports our recommendation that fruits and vegetables should be 'foundational' treatment for patients with hypertension, because we accomplish all three goals (kidney health, lower blood pressure, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk) with fruits and vegetables, and we can do so with lower medication doses,' co-investigator Maninder Kahlon, PhD, Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, explains. Low blood pressure got you down? Try these 4 home fixes! "Dietary interventions for chronic disease management are often not recommended and even less often executed because of the many challenges to get patients to implement them. Nevertheless, they are effective, and in this instance, kidney and cardiovascular protective. We must increase our efforts to incorporate them into patient management and more broadly, make healthy diets more accessible to populations at increased risk for kidney and cardiovascular disease,' Dr. Wesson adds. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes, messages , and quotes !

Oklahoma committee begins search for textbook adhering to controversial social studies standards
Oklahoma committee begins search for textbook adhering to controversial social studies standards

USA Today

time09-06-2025

  • Politics
  • USA Today

Oklahoma committee begins search for textbook adhering to controversial social studies standards

Nuria Martinez-Keel Oklahoma Voice OKLAHOMA CITY — An ousted member of the state's top school board will lead the process to approve K-12 textbooks that align with controversial new academic standards for social studies. Former Oklahoma State Board of Education member Kendra Wesson will continue as the chair of a key committee that chooses all state-approved textbooks for public schools. She has been State Superintendent Ryan Walters' designee to lead the committee since she joined the state Board of Education in January 2023. '​Serving in this role and being able to still help my state is what it's all about, right?' Wesson said. 'It's not about (having my) name in lights. It's about doing the serving and coming in and being who I am and consistently being who I am. So, I value it very much.' Wesson, of Norman, said she brings high integrity to the role and has enjoyed the committee and its staff, so 'it meant a lot to me to be able to stay here.' Walters said he has full confidence in her ability to lead the textbook adoption process. 'Kendra is pro-student, pro-education reform and a pro-Trump conservative who will uphold pro-American principles throughout this process,' Walters said in a statement. 'I look forward to working with her as we are posed to introduce the best academic standards in the country to Oklahoma classrooms this fall.' Gov. Kevin Stitt replaced three state Board of Education members, including Wesson, on Feb. 11 while complaining the board had fallen victim to 'needless political drama.' The three removed members had voted with Walters to advance a now-defeated proposal to have public schools collect students' immigration status, an idea Stitt opposed. What Oklahoma's textbook committee will do during the adoption cycle Wesson and the State Textbook Committee gathered Friday, June 7, for an orientation meeting to initiate the 2025-26 adoption cycle, a process that determines which textbooks the state will approve for the next six years. The committee last met Feb. 7 to conclude the 2024-25 cycle. Like with the state Board of Education, the governor appoints all members of the 13-member textbook committee except for one — the state superintendent, who can choose a designee to serve as the committee's chair in his place. The committee, mostly made up of educators, will receive sample products by July 1 from textbook publishers interested in selling to Oklahoma school districts. The number of companies bidding in the small-market state has dwindled in recent years while political debates over classroom content grew. After the July 1 deadline, teams of subject-matter experts will begin quality reviews of the submitted learning material in August before making recommendations to the textbook committee, said Carolynn Bristow, project manager of educational materials for the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The process culminates in the committee's Nov. 14 vote to approve a list of textbooks aligning with the newly enacted standards for social studies education. The committee also will vote on instructional materials for personal financial literacy courses. The state will execute contracts with publishers in February after the board's final meeting of the adoption cycle. Wesson said the committee will follow the typical textbook adoption process and doesn't anticipate any differences from previous cycles. The committee and its review teams will adhere to a pre-approved rubric to evaluate textbook materials, she said. The rubric checks for classroom usability and compliance with state academic standards. Last year, the committee also added social and moral questions to the rubric asking whether the submitted materials 'degrade traditional roles of men and women,' promote 'illegal lifestyles' or neglect the importance of religion in preserving American liberties. 'We have a great team here at (the state Education Department) that keeps us on track, and that's why that rubric is there, to keep everybody on the same page,' Wesson said. 'And so you will always find this committee, especially, following that process.' Oklahoma's new social studies standards cast doubt on 2020 election results, require biblical teaching The new social studies standards, which dictate what public schools must teach to students in history and government classes, have been the source of significant public scrutiny this year. The standards now require schools to educate students about biblical teachings and Judeo-Christian values that influenced the American colonies and founding fathers, which Walters has said is crucial to ensuring students understand the full context of the country's history. Language casting doubt on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election results also is required teaching. Stitt's three new appointees to the state Board of Education said they were unaware of the 2020 election language at the time they voted on the standards on Feb. 27. Walters said he is responsible for adding the new content, but he didn't acknowledge it until weeks after the board vote. Despite bipartisan concerns among the state Legislature, the Republican supermajority in the state House and Senate permitted the standards to take effect. A lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court contends Walters' administration failed to uphold proper transparency procedures. Wesson said the State Textbook Committee won't have any issues finding textbooks that align with the new social studies standards, even with the new content that has made headlines. 'We're not going to have a problem there at all,' she said. Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions:info@ Follow Oklahoma Voice onFacebook andTwitter.

Four re-arrested over Sheffield street fight death
Four re-arrested over Sheffield street fight death

BBC News

time02-05-2025

  • BBC News

Four re-arrested over Sheffield street fight death

Four people have been re-arrested on suspicion of murder by police investigating the death of a man in were called to a disturbance on Knoll Close in Stocksbridge at 20:36 BST on 12 April and a man was found seriously Wesson, 34, was taken to hospital but died a few days later.A woman, 35, a man, 37, and two men both aged 30 were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and were released on bail. All four have been re-arrested on suspicion of murder and have been re-bailed. Det Insp Adam Watkinson said the investigation into Mr Wesson's death was continuing "at pace"."We continue to ask for any witnesses who may have seen the events that evening to come forward"Any information, no matter how small, could help our investigation."South Yorkshire Police said a referral had been made to the Professional Standards Department and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in line with normal assessment, the IOPC referred it back for local investigation, the force said. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Man who died after street fight in Sheffield named by police
Man who died after street fight in Sheffield named by police

BBC News

time16-04-2025

  • BBC News

Man who died after street fight in Sheffield named by police

A man who died following a street fight in Sheffield has been named by Wesson was described by his family as "a loving father, son, brother, uncle, and grandson".Officers were called at about 20:30 BST on Saturday to reports of a large group fighting on Knoll Close in Stocksbridge, with one person reportedly being in possession of a 34-year-old, who had been arrested before he was taken to hospital, died on Monday, police said. The force said a post-mortem examination had come back as unascertained pending further people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the brawl.A woman aged 35, and man, 37, were arrested at the weekend, and two men both aged 30 were also taken into custody on of the younger men was also arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of said all four had been bailed pending further are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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