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FITNESS TIPS : Blood Pressure Aid
When your blood pressure (BP) creeps up, help knock it down with this simple change in diet.

Topic: Healthy Habits
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Get 20 percent of your daily calories from whole-grain, high-fiber foods instead of refined "white" carbs. It could drop your systolic BP 4 to 8 points and your diastolic BP another 6 to 8 points.

Double Trouble
High blood pressure and high cholesterol are double trouble. Both put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, and they frequently occur together. If you have borderline high cholesterol (200-239 mg/dL) and prehypertension (120-139/80-89 mm Hg), it's time to take action.

Here's How Fiber Helps
Both soluble and insoluble fiber were shown to lower blood pressure in middle-aged people with the unfortunate combo of borderline high cholesterol and prehypertension. Soluble fiber does double duty by lowering cholesterol, too.

SOURCES: Whole-grain diets reduce blood pressure in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women. Behall, K. M., Scholfield, D. J., Hallfrisch, J., Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2006 Sep;106(9):1445-1449.

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