Blood Pressure

Is high blood pressure affected by cold weather?

New research suggests that it is harder to lower high blood pressure in Winter than during the warmer months.  The conclusion is understandable - people exercise more in summer and less in winter. Blood pressure is also affected when people gain weight during the cold - eating comfort foods and possibly “heavier” foods higher in salt, which when the recommended amounts are exceeded, is linked to high blood pressure.

Health advisers suggest not waiting for New Year to begin a healthy regime - the beginning of winter is an ideal time to watch the diet and find new ways to exercise and keep fit- see previous posts about keeping fit.

Medisave have extended their discount on the ever popular Omron M10 monitor and expect to keep the price under £50 well into 2009.

Although it is acknowledged that blood pressure was very variable - even on a minute by minute basis it was found that blood pressure levels and incidents of stroke and heart attack - are higher in cold winters.

Cold weather constricts the blood vessels but possibly more important is the way lifestyles change with the seasons.

Blood pressure tips for cold weather:-

• Begin gentle activities,  be easy on your blood vessels and heart
• Dress in layers to keep warm and store your body heat.
• Cover exposed areas - a hat on the head, scarf around the neck and gloves will all keep out the cold.
• Find out if you have high blood pressure. Check your blood pressure regularly to see if you are winning the battle with blood pressure in cold weather

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Apologies for missing this latest news when it was first published- we were only alerted to it when we saw this blog post “the stink in farts controls blood pressure” closely followed by”stinky farts and blood pressure - who studies this stuff” which concludes - ‘I wanna know who actually decided to study this‘

New research published suggests that the smelly gas in farts controls blood pressure in mice.

Research found that cells lining mice’s blood vessels naturally make the gas and this action helped lower the rodents’ blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels to prevent high blood pressure. This gas is “no doubt” produced in cells lining human blood vessels too, the researchers claimed.

The New study revealed that fart stink - hydrogen sulfide - controls blood pressure and commenters are already becoming enthusiastic about the prospects for utilising this new research.

“Now that we know hydrogen sulfide’s role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension,”

For the full blood pressure lowering fart smell - Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., a co-author of the study detailed in the Oct. 24th issue of the journal Science - full paper visit  Science Mag.

We anticipate more interest in this unusual fundraising event - Sponsored Fart for Children in Need - where supporters can join in a the fart-a-thon and trump for charity.

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