Table of contents:
- What is the danger of hypertension?
- Cucumber benefits for controlling high blood pressure
- Tips for keeping blood pressure under control
Cucumbers are often used as vegetables for friends to eat rice and side dishes. Not only refreshing the mouth, cucumber is also enriched by a myriad of nutrients that are important for the health of the body. For example, vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants such as carotenoids and tocopherols. One of the benefits of cucumber is especially important for people who have hypertension. What is that?
What is the danger of hypertension?
High blood pressure or hypertension is a permanent condition in which the blood pressure is continuously high or more than 140/90 mmHg. High blood pressure occurs due to various things, especially unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
High blood pressure can cause various health problems if not treated quickly. Hypertension is a major cause of coronary heart disease and stroke. Uncontrolled hypertension can also cause an increased risk of aneurysms, kidney failure, vision problems, and even death.
Hypertension cannot be cured, but it can be controlled - either through the drugs prescribed by a doctor or by changing a healthy lifestyle. Quoting a media release uploaded on the PD PERSI page, a decrease in blood pressure of up to 2 mmHg alone can reduce 7% risk of death from heart attack and 10% risk of death from stroke.
One of the small changes in your lifestyle that you can make from now on is to eat more cucumbers. Indeed, what are the benefits of cucumber for hypertension
Cucumber benefits for controlling high blood pressure
Cucumber has the same effect as the hypertension drug ACE inhibitor, to inhibit the protein angiotensin I in the blood. If this protein is not inhibited, this protein can turn into angiotensin II, which can cause constriction of blood vessels (vasoconstriction). As a result, blood pressure increases.
A 50 gram serving of cucumber contains 80 grams of potassium, which is good for lowering blood levels. In the body, potassium works to dilate blood vessels so that blood pressure decreases.
Cucumbers are also enriched with important antioxidants that help fight free radicals and oxidative stress in the body. Both of these can cause various disorders in the human body, such as hypertension, heart problems, strokes and cancer. Even though our bodies actually already have an immune system that functions to fight free radicals, our bodies still need antioxidant intake from food to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals. This is another benefit of cucumber for controlling high blood pressure.
Tips for keeping blood pressure under control
High blood pressure is not trivial, but it also doesn't mean your health should continue to deteriorate. With care and a healthy lifestyle, your blood pressure can be kept within normal limits for years after a diagnosis of hypertension.
Apart from getting the benefits of cucumber, there are eight main ways for you to be able to control blood pressure, namely:
- Routinely take hypertension medication
- Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products while reducing salt and saturated fat intake (the DASH diet is one way)
- Do physical activity regularly (Exercise at least 30 minutes a day)
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Manage stress
- Avoid cigarette smoke
- If you drink, limit your drinking
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