After age 75, lowering your blood pressure could be a life-saver.
When Chubby Checker crooned “Limbo Rock” in 1966, he asked agile folks “How low can you go? ... unda the limbo stick.” For limbo queen Shemika Charles, the answer in 2010 was a record-setting 8 1/2 inches.
Lower also can be a winning strategy when it comes to blood pressure for folks 75 and up, according to a new study in JAMA online.
It revealed that lowering systolic (the top number) BP to less than 120 (compared with the standard recommendation of 140 or less) reduces the relative risk of major cardiovascular events, like stroke and heart attack, by 25 percent. There also was a 27 percent lower relative risk of death from any cause. The researchers, using data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), found that among the 2,510 participants, over three years just 73 folks died who aimed for a lower BP, while 107 folks died who were at the higher level.
Should you lower your BP to 120 or less if you’re 75 or older? This study indicates that if you don’t have diabetes (going too low may increase medication side effects) lowering your BP may be a lifesaver.
So ask your doc about lowering your BwP to 120 or less. And do everything you can through lifestyle changes to control BP as well. Increase physical activity to 30 minutes five days a week; eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day; avoid tobacco, excessive alcohol and the Five Food Felons (all added sugars and sugar syrups, all trans and saturated fats and any grain that isn’t 100 percent whole); maintain a healthy weight; and reduce stress with mindful meditation.
Redefining what’s healthy
Until the late 1800s, bathing was considered unhealthy and a thin layer of dirt was thought to protect a person from bad elements in the air that could permeate the skin and cause disease. Tomatoes, also called poison apples, were considered toxic by Europeans for nearly 200 years (until Neapolitan pizza became the rage in the late 1880s). And almonds, avocados and salmon were found to be unhealthy — wait for it — in 2015 by the Food and Drug Administration’s own calculations.
That’s right, the standards that the FDA uses to evaluate whether a food is “healthy” are sadly misleading. Low-fat Pop-Tarts fit the “healthy” definition because the standards don’t consider sugar content or how processed a food is. And that super-healthy trio of salmon, avocado and almonds? They get a thumbs down because they have more fat per serving than the FDA standards say is good for you, without considering the types of fat they contain. Fat in almonds, avocados or salmon is not much of a health concern, because they dish up super-healthy fats like ALA and DHA omega-3s and a rainbow of nutrients.
The FDA says it wants to upgrade the standards, but in the meantime, if you’re looking for healthy foods, don’t rely on packaging that screams healthy. Instead:
• Choose packaged foods with no added sugars or syrups, only 100 percent whole grains, only a small amount of sat fats and no trans fats.
• Beware of low-fat foods sweetened with sugars or syrups. They’re still bad for your heart, brain and metabolism.
Pregnancy and sugar
Q: I just found out I’m pregnant and my friend says that too much sugar when you’re pregnant can cause birth defects. Really? If that’s true, I don’t mind giving up my sodas, but I can drink diet drinks, right?
Deborah P., Nashville, Tenn.
A: To answer your first question: give it up. Lab studies have shown that when expecting moms consume too much fructose (sodas with high fructose corn syrup are a major source), that can interfere with the placenta’s ability to deliver nutrients to the fetus. And that can hinder proper fetal growth. Too much sugar during pregnancy also has been linked to childhood obesity and diabetes later in your child’s life. So laying off sugary soda is a great idea.
But remember, HFCS also is found in processed foods such as cereal, pasta sauces, breads and even some brands of peanut butter (you have to read the label and look for the sugar content per serving as well as the words “corn” and “fructose”).
Replacing sugary drinks with diet drinks made with artificial sweeteners isn’t any better and actually could be worse. According to Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., registered and licensed dietician, and wellness manager at Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, “Replacing corn sweeteners and table sugar with artificial sweeteners is a little like kicking your cigarette habit by switching to cigars.”
Recent research has linked artificial sweeteners to high blood sugar and weight gain, and excess weight gain during pregnancy seems to put your fetus and newborn at risk for everything from too great a birth weight to obesity, heart and metabolic problems later in life.
So the smart move is to increase your water intake, enjoy unsweetened iced coffee or tea (be careful of too much caffeine when pregnant), flavor plain seltzer with lime, orange or berries, avoid all drinks that are artificially sweetened and watch out for added sugars and syrups in all off-the-shelf products.