(Tribune Newspapers) Salt

Excess salt can lead to excess fluid retention in the blood. This makes the circulatory system fuller and the pressure inside it greater…

[M]ost medical experts say that limiting salt consumption is a good general rule. Between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day are considered plenty for healthy adults - that's a teaspoon of salt or less - and if you're older than 50, or you're African-American, or you have other risk factors for salt sensitivity, you should stick to the low end of that range.

Potassium, fish oil, fiber

One relatively unsung hero in the battle against high blood pressure may be potassium. Results haven't been unanimous, but a good deal of research suggests that healthy doses of the mineral can be very good for your health - and that includes by cutting blood pressure…

Other studies have found a blood pressure-lowering link for both fiber and fish oil…

Exercise

Most studies about the effects of exercise on blood pressure have looked at aerobic exercise, although some evidence shows that resistance training may also be effective. Recommendations call for exercising every day (or at least most days) for 30 to 45 minutes. (Moderate exercise may be just as effective, and possibly more, than higher intensity exercise.) Blood pressure can drop in just a few weeks of regular exercise. It can also pop right back up if you stop exercising…

Weight loss

As people gain weight, their blood pressure tends to go up. Fortunately, as they lose weight, their blood pressure also goes down…

Even modest weight loss is effective at lowering blood pressure for those who already have high blood pressure and also for those in the high normal or prehypertensive range - that area where your readings are elevated but not high enough to be defined as clearly high…

Stress reduction

Some - but not all - stress-reduction techniques have been shown to lower high blood pressure.

For example, a number of studies have found that reducing blood pressure may be as simple as breathing — slow, regular breathing…

Alcohol, smoking and caffeine

Some scientists believe that red wine, in moderate amounts, may improve vascular function and have a less harmful effect on blood pressure than other forms of alcohol - maybe even a positive effect. But this was not supported by a 2005 study that found drinking red wine and beer increased systolic blood pressure by about the same amount.

Any time you smoke a cigarette, it can produce an immediate - but temporary - surge in blood pressure because of the nicotine. But there's no evidence that smoking increases your chances of developing chronic high blood pressure. Still, smoking and high blood pressure appear to have a synergistic (greater than additive) effect on the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. So quit, already.

Like nicotine, caffeine can make your blood pressure shoot up temporarily, especially if you're not used to it. But, as with cigarettes, there's no definitive evidence that drinking a cup of coffee every day - or maybe a couple of cups - increases blood pressure over the long term.

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