Postulating the Major Environmental Condition Resulting in the Expression of Essential Hypertension and Its Associated Cardiovascular Diseases: Dietary Imprudence in Daily Selection of Foods in Respect of Their Potassium and Sodium Content Resulting in Oxidative Stress-Induced Dysfunction of the Vascular Endothelium, Vascular Smooth Muscle, and Perivascular Tissues

We hypothesize that the major environmental determinant of the expression of essential hypertension in America and other Westernized countries is dietary imprudence in respect of the consumption of daily combinations of foods containing suboptimal amounts of potassium and blood pressure-lowering phytochemicals, and supraphysiological amounts of sodium. We offer as premise that Americans on average consume suboptimal amounts of potassium and blood pressure-lowering phytochemicals, and physiologically excessive amounts of sodium, and that such dietary imprudence leads to essential hypertension through oxidative stress-induced vascular endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction.

Source: Medical Hypotheses - August 6, 2018 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Anthony Sebastian, Loren Cordain, Lynda Frassetto, Tanushree Banerjee, R. Curtis Morris Source Type: research