Micronutrient Synergy Helps in High Blood Pressure

One in every three adults – approximately 67 million people in the United States – already has high blood pressure, with many more having pre-hypertension. Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is diagnosed when blood pressure readings are consistently higher than 140/90 mm of Hg. Worldwide, there are over 1 billion people living with uncontrolled hypertension and the number is expected to increase 60% by the year 2025. The lifetime risk of developing high blood pressure is more than 90% after the age 55-60.

Frequently termed the “silent killer” because there are no significant warning signs, consistent high blood pressure damages multiple organ systems in the body. Over a long period, unregulated high blood pressure increases a person’s risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke and is a cause of many other debilitating conditions such as heart failure, kidney damage, and various eye problems including blindness. Some people may have an inherited risk of high blood pressure, or their raised blood pressure may originate from organs such as the kidneys, adrenals, thyroid, or develop during pregnancy. However, in most other situations high blood pressure is referred to as “essential hypertension,” indicating that its cause is unknown.

Our breakthrough understanding of the root cause of high blood pressure opens up a new possibility for controlling it. The main cause of high blood pressure is a chronic deficiency of essential micronutrients in the millions of smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessel walls. Nutrients such as vitamin C, lysine, proline, arginine, magnesium and others are critical for maintaining the strength and elasticity of the blood vessels – and thereby for maintaining normal blood pressure.

In our in vitro studies¹, we have shown that bioflavonoid extracts can inhibit angiotensin II dependent contraction by cultured aortic smooth muscle cells. Our in vivo studies have proven that a synergistic micronutrient mixture reduced blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels – the three important parameters of obesity-associated metabolic syndrome – in immature wild mice fed a high fructose diet.

Furthermore, we conducted a pilot clinical trial² to evaluate the effects of synergistic micronutrient supplementation in patients (32-60 years old) clinically diagnosed with essential hypertension. At the end of the 6-month study, 70% of the patients showed a clear improvement in their blood pressure readings. Overall, their blood pressure dropped 15%-16% with average values at the end of the study being 138/83 mm of Hg, which is lower than the values defined by the World Health Organization for hypertension.

Conventional treatment of hypertension is confined to mechanically lowering the blood pressure reading and treating only associated symptoms. There are more than 11 main groups of antihypertensive medications available, with numerous subgroups and brands. The national cost of treating high blood pressure in the U.S., including missed workdays, reaches more than $47.5 billion per year. Yet, less than half of all Americans diagnosed with hypertension have their blood pressure under control. Given this background, our innovative approach to targeting the root cause of hypertension at the cellular level offers a safe and effective option towards controlling this pandemic.

Ref:

1. 1V. Ivanov, et al., The Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology 2005, 46(5): 570-6
2. Cellular Health Communications Vol 1, No. 1, 2001