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As we age, our blood pressure tends to rise more. For many, having high blood pressure after age 65 is as normal as having gray hair or wrinkles on the skin. But I really want to show you that this shouldn't be considered a rule - it just depends on our lifestyle.
In the 1920s, scientists analyzed data from native Kenyans, including blood pressure. Kenyans followed a diet with low sodium and high consumption of unprocessed plant foods: beans, whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables.
Until 45 years of age, the blood pressure of Kenyans was not very different from Europeans and Americans: around 125/80. However, it was observed that as Europeans and Americans got older, their pressure began to rise, surpassing that of rural Africans.
For Europeans and Americans aged 60 years, hypertension was already normal, with blood pressure above 140/90. And what happened to Kenyans over 60? Their pressure actually improved, averaging 110/70! This proved to be typical of those who have a healthy lifestyle, with a diet mostly based on vegetables.
In an analysis, over a 2-year period, 1,800 patients were hospitalized in a Kenyan hospital, with no patients having a blood pressure case.
Hypertension can be a choice. Every day, we can choose to consume a diet that damages our arteries, or we can choose a lifestyle that naturally lowers blood pressure.
And that choice is in the food. No drugs and no operating table. The decision is on our plate and on our fork.
References
DONNISON, C.P. “Blood Pressure in the African Native.” The Lancet. Londres: 1929; 213(5497): p. 6-7.
