Does calcium help with blood pressure?
A. High blood pressure can result from a variety of factors. One of the approaches to improving blood pressure is to incorporate an eating plan as suggested by the College of Family Physicians Canada; “The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). The diet is rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, calcium, magnesium, potassium, low in salt, sugar and fat, and is consistent with Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. It has been shown to be as effective as medicines in reducing blood pressure. The DASH diet can reduce blood pressure by 11.4/5.5 mmHg in people with high blood pressure. The DASH diet plan is available at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash. Increasing how much potassium rich food you eat may help lower your blood pressure, as may increasing the amount of calcium and magnesium in your diet. Talk to your family doctor about whether these changes would be good for you to make. Potassium can be found in potatoes, bananas, squash, spinach, bran cereal, t
