Bread Helps Your Blood Pressure
Here's some news to make your heart sing: When you pick the right bread, your blood pressure wins!
Three grains recently tested had blood pressure benefits: whole wheat, barley, and brown rice. Look for them in whole-grain breads, cereals, and other grain-based goodies.
The Whole Story
In a study, all three grains were good for lowering blood pressure in middle-aged people with mildly high cholesterol and prehypertension. How? Chalk up another one for fiber. Both the soluble and insoluble fiber in grains reduce blood pressure -- and soluble fiber takes a bite out of cholesterol, too. High cholesterol and high blood pressure often occur together, and the combo is doubly dangerous for your heart and blood vessels. But you can get your act together with these heart-helping steps.
RealAge Benefit:
Choosing whole grains rather than processed grains can make your RealAge 1.2 years younger if you are a man and 2.3 years younger if you are a woman.
Whole-grain diets reduce blood pressure in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women. Behall, K. M. et al., Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2006 Sep;106(9):1445-1449.
