Picture shows the effect of stress on blood vessels ► atherosclerosis;  the yellow fatty plaque leads to blood vessel blockages which cause strokes, heart attacks and death.  The Nature paper for this study at http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3589.html  explains more about the mechanism of stress caused atherosclerosis.

For more details about the biochemistry involved, see also 
http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/06/how-stress-can-clog-your-arteries.

I hope those who are stressed find ways to cut their stress level. :)  

MORE INFO ON HOW TO KEEP BLOOD PRESSURE LOW AND AVOID HEART ATTACKS :)

Most people get too much sodium (and sugar) in their diet.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.  The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that hypertension-related diseases result in 26.9% of developed countries' deaths, and 21.6% of underdeveloped countries' deaths.  High blood pressure (hypertension) is experienced by 90% of people at some point in their life and is a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes.  The WHO website says that daily intake of more than 2000 mg of sodium or less than 3500 mg potassium can cause hypertension  ► http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2013/salt_potassium_20130131/en/.

Here is an informative video about salt from CDC ► Salt Matters: Preserving Choice, Protecting Health.  About 75% of salt intake is from processed and restaurant foods.  Buying the foods with no sodium helps:).  Most people get enough sodium from natural foods, no salt is needed. It is best to cook at home with no salt added in a pressure cooker (it is the fastest cooking method - up to 5 times faster - and it retains up to 9 times more anti-oxidants, vitamins), while avoiding eating restaurant and canned salty foods (metals can leak into the foods).  Also, draining the liquid in canned salty foods can often remove almost half the sodium.  Harvard School of Public Health has more salt studies ► http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-heart-disease/.

We only need 200-1200 mg of sodium, depending on weight and activity levels (sweating eliminates sodium).  Potassium relaxes the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure, while sodium tenses blood vessels and increases BP.  Also, too much sodium can damage the bones ► http://healthyliving.msn.com/diseases/osteoporosis/potassium-and-sodium-the-dynamic-duo-1.  

When using a lot of salt, it is even more important to blood pressure control to limit the intake of sugar (sucrose) and fructose. Studies show those consuming too many simple sugars [sweet fruits (rich in fructose like watermelon) or processed foods with added high fructose corn syrup or sugar] have higher blood pressure ►http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Hypertension/21000.
Some recommend eating less than 15 g of fructose a day, less than half a banana.  No sodas or drinks with added sugar ► http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/25/startling-research-findings-a-newly-discovered-cause-of-high-blood-pressure-and-obesity.aspx. " In 1892, there were just two cases of diabetes per 100,000 people, according to a famous medical textbook by Sir William Osler, The Principles and Practice of Medicine. Today, the rate is 9 percent across all age groups, and sadly one of every three children is either diabetic or pre-diabetic."

High sodium and low potassium intake led to higher mortality in this study ►http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1106080.  When combined with high sugars this high ratio of sodium to potassium leads to serious heart problems. People have noticed a big drop in blood pressure within weeks of changing sugar, sodium and potassium intake.  Many supermarkets sell KCl, potassium chloride salt, so using this kind of salt at home is another way to get more potassium.  Normal salt is sodium chloride, NaCl.    

http://www.nutritiondata.com allows searching foods to see their sugars, potassium and omega 3 fatty acids (unsaturated fat) levels.  Besides decreasing sodium, saturated fat and omega 6 acids intake, increasing omega 3 fatty acids intake lowers blood pressure ► http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/02/27/1221997110. Many people eat omega 6: omega 3 in ratios of 30:1 to 10:1.  The healthier (for blood pressure and also for increased telomere length) ratios are in the range 4:1 to 1:1. Some beans (black, pinto, white, etc) have high potassium and also roughly equal amounts of omega 3 to omega 6. Beans are better than many fried foods with trans fats or oxysterols that clog the arteries.  However, beans have fats too and over-cooking those fats can cause some harmful fats to emerge, so for diabetics especially it's much better to eat raw unroasted walnuts with omega 3: omega 6 ratio of 1:4 and 400 mg potassium per 100g.  All nuts should be eaten unroasted, since oxidized fats clog the arteries and raise blood pressure. Interestingly, coconut saturated fat eaters have less heart disease than us ► http://coconutoil.com/litalee/.  Sri Lankans used to have the lowest heart disease rate in the world in 1953 when they are 136 coconuts a year on average ► http://www.pca.da.gov.ph/heartdisease.php.  

Too much of whole grains or beans, i.e. too many carbohydrates, can cause an increase in blood pressure long term due to spike in insulin levels, so much so that diets with more monounsaturated fats lead to lower blood pressure ► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16249527. Insulin levels being high is also how Alzheimer can develop faster. However, among high carbohydrate eaters, eating complex (beans and grains) carbohydrates instead of simple ones (sugar, fructose in fruits) leads to comparatively lower blood pressure ► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18845707.

Studies show those eating least meat and dairy have the lowest (healthiest) blood pressure ► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12372158. It became evident that those eating no red meat are less likely to die of heart disease and they live longer ► http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324423904578523190441042514.html.  The scientifically proven (and covered by Medicare and many private insurance companies) Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease helped thousands to lower blood pressure through a healthier low fat diet ► http://www.ornishspectrum.com/ornish-certified-site-directory/reversing-programs/. 

Scientists found that good sleep prevents hypertension ► http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/30/could-lack-of-deep-sleep-fuel-high-blood-pressure/, diabetes ► http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120929140234.htm, weak immune system ► http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120701191638.htm and other health problems. During sleep the body does a lot of self-repair.  Meditation, eating as little fat as possible (except for the minimum omega 3 needed), peaceful music (example ► MOUNTAIN STREAM Nature Sounds (10 Hours) Relax, Meditate, Sleep) and emotions, natural diuretics (cucumber, tomatoes, fresh ginger tea, etc), lower stress, avoiding gaining weight, not smoking, not drinking alcohol can also help lower blood pressure.  

Additionally ginger tea can lower blood pressure by 10 points (► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15613983 for the mechanics of ginger).  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16157513 presents ginger tea effect on blood pressure, while http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16117603 shows anti-inflammatory effects of ginger (boosts immune system).  100g of raw ginger contains 410mg of potassium, about 10% of daily needs.  Ginger is easier to eat as tea, but in many nations it's added to already cooked foods in raw form after cooking.  Raw is more potent.  Ginger has been used for thousands of years as medicine. The studies show the more concentrated the tea or the more ginger we eat, the lower the blood pressure. So, with ginger one can lower the blood pressure by 20 points also: be it as tea made from raw ginger, raw in salads, or added raw before or after cooking foods.  

Hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure too (► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20018807).  Here is an interesting comparison between teas showing how black tea increases blood pressure while hibiscus tea dramatically decreases blood pressure by 15-20 points ► http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18685605. Many stores sell hibiscus flowers in the bulk section.

The normal pulse rate is 60-100 bpm (beats per minute) and ideal blood pressure is less than 115/75 mm Hg (less than 115 systolic AND less than 75 diastolic) for those older than 18.  Normally they say less than 120/80, but it's always better to aim for lower since it prevents issues decades later.  The best athletes or meditators (who can attain deep peace) can have pulse of 40 and still be in perfect health.  The known world record is 27 bpm.  One can take blood pressure and pulse at home, with one of those $10-40 monitors available at Walmart, etc. In general, the lower the values, the longer the person will live heart disease free.  Studies show that the lower the heart rate the longer we live ► http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20130416/higher-heart-rate-tied-to-earlier-death-even-in-fit-people, independent of whether we exercise or not. Harvard Medical School agrees with this finding ► http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/slower-heart-rate-may-translate-into-longer-life.  Being free from anger lowers heart rate and blood pressure, so staying happy helps:).  

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