Every day, it seems, some new factor is said to affect blood pressure—from fish oils to protein. Some factors do have an effect; others do not. Test your knowledge of some of the latest claims: Question: Is high blood pressure a disease of old age? Answer: No. High blood pressure need never occur—at any age. High blood pressure also need not worsen with age. Making changes in what you eat and regular physical activity are sometimes enough to keep it under control. Question: Does smoking tobacco products cause high blood pressure? Answer: No. BUT, it does increase the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases. It injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. This applies even to filtered cigarettes. So even though it does not directly affect blood pressure, smoking is bad for anyone, especially those with high blood pressure. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Once you quit, your risk of having a heart attack drops by about half within the first year. Eventually it will equal that of a nonsmoker. So you have a lot to gain by quitting. Question: Can tranquilizers, sedatives, and relaxation techniques lower blood pressure? Answer: Tranquilizers, sedatives, and relaxation techniques, such as reading, hobbies, long walks, vacations, biofeedback, and transcendental meditation (or "TM") are sometimes promoted as ways to lower blood pressure. But don’t be misled. They may make you feel better, but they will not keep your blood pressure down. Question: Who gets high blood pressure most? Is it more common among some racial and ethnic groups? Answer: High blood pressure occurs more often among African Americans than any other racial or ethnic group. See page 30 for more information. Question: Will drinking a lot of coffee send your blood pressure up? Answer: In the beginning yes, but the caffeine in coffee as well as other drinks like tea and sodas only raises blood pressure temporarily. The body becomes adjusted to caffeine. So you should be able to continue to have drinks that contain caffeine, unless you are sensitive to it or have heart disease and your doctor tells you not to have any. Question: Do vitamin and mineral supplements help lower blood pressure? Answer: These supplements are still being studied. But here’s what’s known so far: Supplements do not appear to be needed, unless you take a medicine that causes an imbalance in some nutrients. Other than that, most people should get all the nutrients they need from what they eat. Here’s a nutrient roundup: ·Potassium - Getting too little potassium in the diet may make blood pressure rise. Eating foods rich in potassium appears to keep people from developing high blood pressure. Most people get enough potassium in their foods. Some good sources, shown in the box on the opposite page, are various fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, and fish. ·Calcium - Some populations with low intakes of calcium have more high blood pressure. Scientists aren’t sure if the high rates result from a lack of calcium or some as-yet-unknown factor. You should try to get 800-1,200 milligrams of calcium each day. Good sources are diary foods such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. Be sure to choose skim or low fat varieties. Low fat and nonfat diary products have more calcium than the high fat versions. ·Magnesium - A diet low in magnesium may make blood pressure rise, but again scientists don’t know whether the increase is from the lack of magnesium or some unknown factor. The amount of magnesium consumed through a healthy diet should be plenty. Magnesium is found in whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and dry peas and beans. ·Fish oils - A type of fat called "omega-3 fatty acids" is found in fatty fish, such as mackerel and salmon. Large amounts of fish oils may help reduce high blood pressure. But taking fish oil pills is not recommended because high doses can cause unpleasant side effects. The pills are also high in calories. Of course, most fish are low in fat and calories and can be eaten often. ·Protein - The amount of protein in the diet appears to have little, if any, effect on blood pressure. ·Garlic or onions - Garlic and onions have not been found to affect blood pressure. But they can be very useful as a way to flavor foods without salt.