The Potential Consequences of Blood Pressure Control

By VRP Staff

Usually, we think of sugary treats and white bread as playing a role in the development of diabetes. But research is beginning to unveil another possible culprit in blood sugar issues. And this factor has nothing to do with what you eat.

Blood pressure medications have helped a lot of people reduce a condition that can damage their cardiovascular systems. However, researchers are now discovering that these same blood pressure medications may encourage the development of diabetes.¹

Take thiazide diuretics, for example. Though they’re one of the drugs of choice when it comes to battling hypertension, the clinical benefits they deliver come at a price. Not only do they disturb the balance of several key electrolytes—including potassium, sodium, and magnesium—but evidence also suggests that they may increase your risk of diabetes… by as much at 45 percent.²

What’s worse, thiazide diuretics aren’t the only blood pressure drugs that studies have associated with this serious disease—calcium-channel blockers and ACE inhibitors have also been shown to increase mean blood sugar levels within five years of use.³ Another long-term study showed that as many as 20.4 percent of patients treated with blood-pressure medications will develop diabetes—which in turn poses a greater risk of stroke, heart attack, and death.⁴

Hypertension can have serious consequences and patients should never stop taking their blood-pressure lowering drugs without a doctor’s guidance. However, for individuals who want to explore other options, there are a number of natural approaches.

PRESSURE-fX™—a patented blend of shark cartilage and Cordyceps—is one proven example. Clinical studies have shown that 88 percent of patients supplementing with this product significantly reduced their blood pressure—and that 75 percent were able to maintain healthy blood pressure without using prescription medications.⁵

Another powerful option is Circutrol BP™, which contains grape seed extract, blueberry extract and vitamin K2. Grape seed extract is shown to increase your body’s nitric oxide production—thereby relaxing your blood vessels.^6-7 Clinical research shows that, in as little as 8 weeks, this potent antioxidant ingredient reduced average systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels by 8.3 mm Hg and 5.7 mm Hg, respectively.⁸

Blueberry extract has delivered similar results in animal studies, lowering blood pressure by as much as 30 percent in stroke-prone rats—in just six weeks. What’s even more promising: Blueberry also decreased insulin resistance among the same group, which showed a 48 percent improvement over controls.⁹

Finally, vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is an essential nutrient that acts to support healthy blood pressure levels—which is why it’s combined with both extracts above in Circutrol BP. Human studies have revealed that increased intake of this important nutrient will keep calcium from building up in your arteries, helping to keep them flexible and unobstructed.¹⁰

References:

1. Morgan TO. Metabolic effects of various antihypertensive agents. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1990;15 Suppl 5:S39-45.

2. Shafi T, Appel LJ, Miller ER 3rd, et al. Changes in serum potassium mediate thiazide-induced diabetes. Hypertension. 2008 Dec;52(6):1022-9.

3. Barzilay JI, Davis BR, Cutler JA, et al. Fasting glucose levels and incident diabetes mellitus in older nondiabetic adults randomized to receive 3 different classes of antihypertensive treatment: a report from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Arch Intern Med. 2006 Nov 13;166(20):2191-201.

4. Almgren T, Wilhelmsen L, Samuelsson O, et al. Diabetes in treated hypertension is common and carries a high cardiovascular risk: results from a 28-year follow-up. J Hypertens. 2007 Jun;25(6):1311-7.

5. Malina O, Malina M, Kotsifas G, et al. Treatment of Mild to Moderate Arterial Hypertension with Pressure-FX®. Unpublished research. Instituto de Medicina Ortomolecular, Parana, Brazil.

6. Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B, Tissa Kappagoda C. Mechanism of the endothelium-dependent relaxation evoked by a grape seed extract. Clin Sci (Lond). 2008 Feb;114(4):331-7.

7. Freedman JE, Parker C, Li L, et al. Select flavonoids and whole juice from purple grapes inhibit platelet function and enhance nitric oxide release. Circulation. 2001;103:2792-8.

8. Lu B, Robinson M, Kappagoda T. Effect of a Novel Grape Seed Extract on Blood Pressure in Subjects with Prehypertension. Presented at the FASEB Experimental Biology Conference, Washington, DC, April 30, 2007.

9. Sweeney M, Shaughnessy K, Gottschall-Pass K. Blueberry diets delay the onset of hypertension and reduce insulin resistance in spontaneously hypertensive stroke prone rats. FASEB J. 2007;21:847.

10. Beulens JW, Bots ML, Atsma F, et al. High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Jul 19. Published online ahead of print.