PCOS and High Blood Pressure

When your hormones are all out of sync, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) could be the culprit. According to the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, PCOS affects about 6 – 10% of women; unfortunately, most don’t even know that they have it.

When PCOS occurs, the follicle swells but the egg is never released causing a cyst to form. This occurrence is the result of an increase in testosterone levels in the body. Testosterone is usually considered more of a male hormone. However, women do produce this hormone in small amounts. It has been speculated that the inability of the body to process insulin (due to high levels in the blood) causes the increased production of testosterone from the ovary. Furthermore, other hormones such as FSH, LH, and estrogen do not cycle normally. Unfortunately, this phenomenon can cause women to struggle with a BMI (Body Mass Index) in the overweight and obesity categories.

What Are The Symptoms of PCOS?

Hypertension
Acne
Inability to process insulin (Learn more about PCOS and insulin resistance.)
Infertility
Weight Gain
Increase hair growth on the body
Inconsistent and absent periods

According to WebMD, there is no cure for PCOS but the cornerstone of managing this condition is regular exercise, a healthy diet, and weight control. As with any health program, managing your weight also affects blood pressure and insulin levels and has positive implications for some major diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Why is my Blood Pressure High and how does that tie to PCOS?

High blood pressure (hypertension) is defined as a blood pressure that is consistently (more than 6 months) above 140/90. Systolic blood pressure is the top number. Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number. The onset of hypertension (high blood pressure) is a serious health problem for several reasons. High blood pressure is a very common condition with wide-spread consequences and can remain asymptomatic (without signs or symptoms) or undiagnosed until relatively late in its course. Several studies have proven that Insulin Resistance and the resulting hyperinsulinemia (elevated insulin in the blood) cause elevations in blood pressure, because insulin causes hardening of the arteries (deposits of fatty substances like cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and other material build up in the inner lining of an artery) which directly affects the diameter of the inside of the vessel. Think of your vascular system as a complex, interlocking web of garden hoses. The smaller the size of the hose, the more pressure on all of the other hoses as less blood flows through per minute. The heart must pump harder to get blood to distant sites while facing the decreased diameter of vessels. This increases the pressure of the entire cardiovascular system causing elevated blood pressure. High blood pressure increases, the chances of life-threatening medical conditions. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder than normal, and as a result, both the heart and arteries are more prone to injury. Hypertension increases the risk of:

heart attacks
strokes
kidney failure
blindness
congestive heart failure

What steps can you take to reduce your blood pressure?

Maintain a healthy weight. Lose excess weight and keep it off with a long-term program of exercise and healthier eating
Side-step salt. Avoid using too much table salt, limit salty fast foods, and read labels to find low sodium foods in your grocery store.
Watch what you eat. Choose a diet low in salt, cholesterol and animal fat; high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low-fat milk products; with some nuts and seeds.
Try coenzyme Q10. Taking 100 mg a day may have a significant impact on your blood pressure.
Take minerals. Supplements of calcium (800 to 1,500 mg a day) and magnesium (350 to 500 mg a day) may be helpful.
Boost heart health with garlic A 600 to 900 mg a day standardized garlic supplement can improve heart and blood vessel health, and also has a mild blood pressure–lowering effect.

As with conventional drugs, the use of natural substances sometimes controls blood pressure if taken consistently but does not lead to a cure for high blood pressure. Thus, someone whose blood pressure is successfully reduced by weight loss, avoidance of salt, and increased intake of fruits and vegetables would need to maintain these changes permanently in order to retain control of blood pressure. Remember, left untreated, hypertension significantly increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Nutritional supplements that may be helpful

Although there are pharmaceuticals that can help lower blood pressure, there are currently no drugs that will completely reverse Insulin Resistance or PCOS; you must rely on a multi-faceted approach to improving these conditions.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) - Both preliminary and double-blind trials have reported that supplementation with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) leads to a significant decrease in blood pressure in people with hypertension. Much of this research has used 100 mg of CoQ10 per day for at least ten weeks.
EPA/DHA - Omega-3 fatty acids - EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, lower blood pressure, according to an analysis of 31 trials. The effect was dependent on the amount of omega-3 oil used, with the best results occurring in trials using unsustainably high levels: 15 grams per day - the amount often found in 50 grams of fish oil. Although results with lower intakes were not as impressive, trials using over 3 grams per day of omega-3 (as typically found in ten 1,000 mg pills of fish oil) also reported significant reductions in blood pressure.
Magnesium -
Some, but not all, trials show that magnesium supplements - typically 350–500 mg per day—lower blood pressure. Magnesium appears to be particularly effective in people who are taking potassium-depleting diuretics. Potassium-depleting diuretics also deplete magnesium. Therefore, the drop in blood pressure resulting from magnesium supplementation in people taking these drugs may result from overcoming a mild magnesium deficiency.
Calcium - Calcium supplementation—typically 800–1,500 mg per day - may lower blood pressure. However, while an analysis of 42 trials reported that calcium supplementation led to an average drop in blood pressure that was statistically significant, the actual decrease was small (in medical terms, a drop of 1.4 systolic over 0.8 diastolic pressure). Results might have been improved had the analysis been limited to studies of people with hypertension, since calcium has almost no effect on the blood pressure of healthy people. In the analysis of 42 trials, effects were seen both with dietary calcium and with use of calcium supplements. A 12-week trial of 1,000 mg per day of calcium accompanied by blood pressure monitoring is a reasonable way to assess efficacy in a given person.
Vitamin C - Five double-blind trials have found that vitamin C supplementation reduces blood pressure, but the reduction was statistically significant in only three of the five, and in most cases reductions were modest. Some doctors recommend that people with
elevated blood pressure supplement with 1,000 mg vitamin C per day.
Vitamin E - In a double-blind study of people with high blood pressure, 200 IU of vitamin E per day taken for 27 weeks was significantly more effective than a placebo at reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.50 This study was done in Iran, and it is not clear whether the results would apply to individuals consuming a Western diet.
Taurine - A deficiency of the amino acid taurine, is thought by some researchers to play an important role in elevating blood pressure in people with hypertension. Limited research has found that supplementation with taurine lowers blood pressure in animals and in people (at 6 grams per day), possibly by reducing levels of the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline).
Garlic - Garlic has a mild blood pressure-lowering effect, according to an analysis of ten doubleblind trials. All of these trials administered garlic for at least four weeks, typically using 600–900 mg of garlic extract per day.
Arginine - The amino acid arginine is needed by the body to make nitric oxide, a substance that allows blood vessels to dilate, thus leading to reduced blood pressure. Intravenous administration of arginine has reduced blood pressure in humans in some reports. In one controlled trial, people not responding to conventional medication for their hypertension were found to respond to a combination of conventional medication and oral arginine (2 grams taken three times per day.)
Reishi Mushrooms - A double-blind trial reported that reishi mushrooms significantly lowered blood pressure in humans. The trial used a concentrated extract of reishi (25:1) in the amount of 55 mg three times per day for four weeks. It is unclear from the clinical report how long it takes for the blood pressure-lowering effects of reishi to be measured.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful

Smoking is particularly injurious for people with hypertension. The combination of hypertension and smoking greatly increases the risk of heart disease-related sickness and death. All people with high blood pressure need to quit smoking.
Consumption of more than about three alcoholic beverages per day appears to increase blood pressure. Whether one or two drinks per day meaningfully increases blood pressure remains unclear.
Daily exercise can lower blood pressure significantly. A 12-week program of Chinese T’ai Chi was reported to be almost as effective as aerobic exercise in lowering blood pressure. Progressive resistance exercise (e.g., weight lifting) also appears to help reduce blood pressure. At the same time, blood pressure has been known to increase significantly during the act of lifting heavy weights; for this reason, people with sharply elevated blood pressure, especially those with cardiovascular disease, should approach heavy strenuous resistance exercise with caution. In general, people over 40 years of age should consult with their doctors before starting any exercise regimen.
Most people with high blood pressure are overweight. Weight loss lowers blood pressure significantly in those who are both overweight and hypertensive. In fact, reducing body weight by as little as ten pounds can lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure. Weight loss appears to have a stronger blood pressure-lowering effect than dietary salt restriction.

A complete system, including nutraceuticals (vitamins, herbs and minerals that are disease specific), a realistic exercise program, nutritional guidance and a support network that will help you change unhealthy lifestyle choices, is required to address the issues presented by PCOS and high blood pressure.

Buy premium, standardized supplements to promote heart health!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Cut Your Risk - Nourish Your Body

Wednesday, November 28, 2007