4 lifestyle changes that lower high blood pressure | Dr Sanjay Gupta

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Welcome to ZOE Science and Nutrition, where world leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health. Can you name a health condition that has no symptoms, but is the single greatest risk factor for death globally?

**Sarah Berry** (0:21)
No?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:22)
Here's another clue. 30% of adults in the world have it, and it causes dementia, heart disease and stroke. Any guesses? The answer is high blood pressure, known to doctors as the silent killer. However, while high blood pressure is serious, today's guest explains there are steps you can take right now that can make a huge difference.
Today I'm joined by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, one of the UK's leading cardiologists, based at York Teaching Hospital. He's a passionate believer that lifestyle changes are the most powerful way to improve your blood pressure. In this episode, Sanjay shares evidence-based, sustainable lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce blood pressure and support overall health and well-being. By the end, you'll have all the tools you need to keep your blood pressure in check.
Sanjay, thank you for joining me today.

**Sanjay Gupta** (1:21)
Thank you for having me.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:22)
And Sarah, thank you for being here.

**Sarah Berry** (1:23)
Pleasure.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:24)
So Sanjay, we have a tradition here at ZOE, where we always start with a quick fire round of questions from our listeners. We have these very strict rules. You can give us a yes or a no, or if you have to, a one-sentence answer. You're willing to give it a go?

**Sarah Berry** (1:38)
Yeah.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:39)
All right. Can long-term high blood pressure lead to dementia?

**Sanjay Gupta** (1:44)
Yes, absolutely.

**Sarah Berry** (1:45)
Is low blood pressure always better than high?

**Sanjay Gupta** (1:48)
No.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:49)
Can simple lifestyle changes lower your blood pressure significantly?

**Sanjay Gupta** (1:53)
Yes.

**Sarah Berry** (1:54)
Does alcohol help lower your blood pressure if you're stressed?

**Sanjay Gupta** (1:58)
It may do.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:00)
Can your gut microbiome influence blood pressure?

**Sanjay Gupta** (2:03)
Absolutely.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:04)
Finally, what's the most common misunderstanding about blood pressure?

**Sanjay Gupta** (2:08)
The idea that blood pressure is a disease. For many people, blood pressure, I believe, is a scream. The body is screaming out and saying, I'm unhappy. If we take the scream and make it a disease, then you end up treating the blood pressure, but not addressing the root cause of the scream. In some ways, you do that patient into service.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:32)
I've definitely heard of high blood pressure, and I know that it's one of those things that lots of us are told by our doctors that we should worry about. But I can't be the only person who doesn't really understand what it means, why my blood pressure rises, and what it means for my health. Luckily, we have one of the UK's leading cardiologists to help us finally understand what it's all about. We're joined by Professor Sarah Berry, who I discovered actually spent many years running clinical trials in humans looking at the impact of food on blood pressure. I think we're in for a treat. Can we just start at the beginning, Sanjay?

**Sanjay Gupta** (3:05)
What is blood pressure? To understand blood pressure, we have to understand pressure. Pressure is physiologically a formula, which is force over area. You exert some force over an area, and that equates to pressure. If you increase the force, you increase the pressure provided the area remains the same. Or if you reduce the area and the force is the same, the pressure goes up. Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by blood on the area of our blood vessels. The force is dictated by the heart rate, and how much blood is coming out of the heart, because the heart is pumping the blood into these blood vessels. The area is dictated by the radius of our arterioles, our blood vessels. Blood pressure will vary based on heart rate, how much blood is coming out of the heart, and also the surface area of our arterioles. It is a constantly changing dynamic variable. It is not something which is static all the time, and this is a common misconception amongst the general public. Blood pressure will go up physiologically depending on what you're doing. If you're moving, your heart rate will go up, your blood pressure will go up. If you are stressed, your blood pressure will go up. If you've had too much salt, your blood pressure will go up. If you're producing stress hormones, they cause our blood vessels to constrict, so your area has gotten less and the blood pressure will go up. That is not a disease. That is just a response to the body, in response to the things that that person is doing. Why is blood pressure important? Well, I'd liken it to a little bit like when you're trying to water your plants.