How to keep blood pressure steady and protect your health
If you’re younger than 45 and worried about your blood pressure, you’re not alone.
In the past, blood pressure became an issue for adults hitting their 60s and 70s. But that’s not what it looks like anymore.
Millions of millennials and Gen-Zers are struggling to keep their blood pressure under control… many more than the generations before them at the same age. And that can lead to serious lifelong health problems, even premature death.
But there are ways to do that without taking a bunch of prescriptions that come with nasty side effects. In fact, one of the best ways to maintain healthy blood pressure levels is to get ahead of the issues causing your high blood pressure in the first place.
Let’s start by delving into what high blood pressure looks like and the dramatic impact it can have on your health.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
Your blood pressure measures the force of blood pushing against blood vessels as it flows through. It’s made up of two parts: systolic and diastolic.
Systolic pressure, the first or top number in a blood pressure reading, happens when your heart sends blood into your arteries.
Diastolic pressure, the second or bottom number, happens when your heart relaxes between beats. Together, they make up your blood pressure reading.
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When your blood pressure is high for an extended time, it can damage the walls of the blood vessels—a major threat to your health. But you wouldn’t notice that, because high blood pressure won’t cause obvious symptoms until a lot of damage has been done.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure while there’s still time to do something about it is to measure it. Then you can get a sense of which category your blood pressure falls into… and take immediate steps to bring it back down to normal.
Source: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
Because without taking those steps… Well, there’s a reason they call it the silent killer.
The Dramatic Impact of High Blood Pressure
Occasional blood pressure spikes are nothing to worry about; they happen to everyone, all the time. Problems start when your blood pressure is elevated most or all of the time. And if it’s left unchecked, it can be fatal.
High blood pressure damages your blood vessels, making small tears in them and making it harder for them to deliver critical supplies of oxygen and nutrients to your cells and organs. Over time, fats get stuck in those tears, clinging to the artery walls and narrowing them. That decreases blood flow all over your body, which can lead to serious and deadly consequences such as:
- Vision loss
- Sexual dysfunction
- Brain damage
- Dementia
- Metabolic syndrome
- Kidney failure
- Stroke
- Heart failure
While all of this may sound daunting, don't worry! You can achieve a healthier future by paying attention to your blood pressure and taking steps to keep it under control. And that starts by understanding what causes your blood pressure to rise.
What Sends Your Blood Pressure Soaring?
Every year we’re learning more about what things affect blood pressure, and researchers have nailed down three common causes.
1. An unbalanced gut microbiome
Surprising as it sounds, your gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut—has an enormous effect on your blood pressure. Research shows that the gut microbiome influences blood pressure in several ways.[1]
And when your gut microbiome is out of balance—a condition called dysbiosis where pathogens outnumber probiotics—healthy blood pressure levels can be difficult to maintain. That’s because those pathogens produce unhealthy compounds like TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide), which directly increases high blood pressure risk.[2]
2. Vitamin D and K2 deficiencies
A lot of people are deficient in two vitamins closely connected with blood pressure: Vitamins D and K2.
The sunshine vitamin is essential for life and health, but nearly a billion people worldwide are deficient.[3]
Vitamin K2 also performs dozens of critical functions that keep you alive and well… but almost no one gets enough of it. One study found that 97% of participants had insufficient levels![4]
Both of these vitamins play a role in blood pressure management. And when you don’t get enough of them, your body can’t balance blood pressure properly. Scientists still aren’t quite sure exactly how vitamin D is involved, but they do know that vitamin D deficiencies have negative consequences for your blood pressure.[5] And Vitamin K2? It plays a critical role in keeping your blood vessels flexible and functioning.[6]
3. Chronic stress
When your body experiences stress, its natural fight-or-flight responses kick in. That includes a blood pressure spike to help you escape quickly from danger.
But with chronic stress, your body never has a chance to calm down, and that can keep your blood pressure elevated for too long to be safe. New research shows that chronic job stress—like a demanding boss, limited control over your job, and a heavy workload—can increase your blood pressure both at work and at home.[7]
And with everything going on in the world, it’s honestly not surprising that so many of us are dealing with high blood pressure at younger and younger ages.
But here's the good news: Now that you know what factors can negatively impact your blood pressure, you can take proactive steps to give your blood pressure the TLC it needs. Because, unlike most things, supporting healthy blood pressure levels is easy once you know how.
A Three-Step Plan to Safely Manage Blood Pressure
Keeping your blood pressure steady and in the safe zone is essential to good health. You can take three simple steps to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
1. Combat dysbiosis and balance your gut microbiome.
Dysbiosis can lead to high blood pressure. Keeping your gut microbiome in healthy balance, where beneficial probiotic gut bacteria vastly outnumber pathogens, can make it easier to manage blood pressure. For example, beneficial probiotic bacteria produce compounds like short chain fatty acids and indole-3-lactic acid that help keep blood pressure steady.[8] Research shows that a flourishing population of probiotic gut bacteria is associated with reduced blood pressure.[9] Doctors and scientists are now looking at ways to target the gut microbiome as a way to control blood pressure.[10]
High quality spore probiotics can quickly restore healthy balance in your gut microbiome. Spore probiotics have a unique protective casing that helps them survive stomach acid and other hazards. That lets them easily withstand the high temperatures of your digestive tract. So they get to your gut 100% alive and ready to get to work every time. Spore probiotics work by clearing out space for your gut’s native beneficial bacteria to grow and flourish.
2. Avoid vitamin D and K2 deficiencies.
It’s tough to get enough sun year-round to keep your vitamin D levels in a healthy range—especially without risking sunburn and skin cancer. And it’s virtually impossible to get enough from diet alone. Thankfully, research shows that supplementing with 5000 IU of vitamin D3—the most beneficial form—can help you stay healthy.[11]
As for vitamin K2, it’s nearly impossible to get enough through diet alone as well. That’s why supplementing with vitamin K2 is the best way to make sure you have plentiful supplies of this longevity nutrient. You’ll want to take supplements containing vitamin K2-7, the most absorbable, bioavailable form of this essential nutrient to get the most out of it.[6]
3. Turn down the volume on stress.
You can’t avoid stressors—they come at you all day, every day. But you can help your body handle stress effectively. One of the best tools for this is a unique probiotic—Bifidobacterium longum 1714™—that works like a “stress switch,” helping your body turn off stress and turn on calm. Clinical trials show that BL1714™ can help your body mount a healthy stress response. That means your body won’t feel constantly stuck in emergency mode, so it can just rest and relax.
Research shows that taking BL1714™ regularly:
- promotes a healthy stress response and delivers a reduced sense of daily stress[12]
- promotes calmness and creativity by increasing theta wave activity in the brain[13]
- supports healthy sleep quality and duration even during stressful times[14]
By taking these three important proactive steps, you can help your body balance blood pressure more effectively. And that can keep you out of the danger zone.
Just Thrive Heart Health Products
Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure with Just Thrive
Just Thrive has what you need to help you balance your gut microbiome, sustain optimal vitamin K and D levels, and support a healthy stress response, all of which are foundational to managing blood pressure.
Just Thrive Probiotic & Antioxidant promotes a wide variety of native probiotic bacteria that can grow, flourish, and deliver plentiful health benefits. It contains 4 clinically-studied spore probiotics:
- Bacillus indicus HU36™
- Bacillus subtilis HU58™
- Bacillus coagulans (SC-208)
- Bacillus clausii (SC-109)
This clinically-proven quartet of spore probiotics helps keep your gut microbiome in optimal balance to support healthy blood pressure and overall wellness.
Vitamin K2-7 Plus D3 contains high potency forms of both vitamins: 200 mcg of K2-7 and 5000 IU of D3. This essential nutrient duo supports heart health, bone health, healthy blood pressure, and overall longevity.
Just Calm to help you turn down the volume on stress. Just Calm contains BL 1714™, the most heavily researched and scientifically verified strain available, along with a focused combination of vitamins B6, B9, and B12. Just Calm supports healthy stress management while promoting a positive mood and overall feelings of well-being.
Not sure the Just Thrive will work for you? We’re confident that you’ll notice a positive difference when you take these supplements as directed.
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Sources
- O’Donnell, J.A., Zheng, T., Meric, G. et al. The gut microbiome and hypertension. Nat Rev Nephrol 19, 153–167 (2023).
- Han JM, Guo L, Chen XH, Xie Q, Song XY, Ma YL. Relationship between trimethylamine N-oxide and the risk of hypertension in patients with cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis and dose-response relationship analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jan 5;103(1):e36784.
- Sizar O, Khare S, Goyal A, et al. Vitamin D Deficiency. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-.
- Bruno, EJ (2016) The Prevalence of Vitamin K Deficiency/Insufficiency, and Recommendations for Increased Intake. J Hum Nutr Food Sci 4(1): 1077.
- Jensen NS, Wehland M, Wise PM, Grimm D. Latest Knowledge on the Role of Vitamin D in Hypertension. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 28;24(5):4679. doi: 10.3390/ijms24054679. PMID: 36902110; PMCID: PMC10003079.
- Vik H. Highlighting The Substantial Body Of Evidence Confirming The Importance Of Vitamin K2 As A Cardio-Support Nutrient, And How The Right K2 Makes All The Difference. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2019 Dec;18(6):24-28. PMID: 32549853; PMCID: PMC7238900.
- Spruill TM. Chronic psychosocial stress and hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2010 Feb;12(1):10-6.
- Wu Y, Xu H, Tu X, Gao Z. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids of Gut Microbiota Origin in Hypertension. Front Microbiol. 2021 Sep 28;12:730809. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.730809. PMID: 34650536; PMCID: PMC8506212.
- Yan D, Sun Y, Zhou X, Si W, Liu J, Li M, Wu M. Regulatory effect of gut microbes on blood pressure. Animal Model Exp Med. 2022 Dec;5(6):513-531.
- Palmu J, Lahti L, Niiranen T. Targeting Gut Microbiota to Treat Hypertension: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 30;18(3):1248.
- van Helmond N, et al. Vitamin D3 Supplementation at 5000 IU Daily for the Prevention of Influenza-like Illness in Healthcare Workers: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2022 Dec 30;15(1):180.
- Allen AP, Hutch W, Borre YE, Kennedy PJ, Temko A, Boylan G, Murphy E, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, Clarke G. Bifidobacterium longum 1714 as a translational psychobiotic: modulation of stress, electrophysiology and neurocognition in healthy volunteers. Transl Psychiatry. 2016 Nov 1;6(11):e939.
- Wang H, Braun C, Murphy EF, Enck P. Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ Strain Modulates Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers During Social Stress. Am J Gastroenterol. 2019 Jul;114(7):1152-1162. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000000203. PMID: 30998517; PMCID: PMC6615936.
- Moloney GM, et al. Improvements in sleep indices during exam stress due to consumption of a Bifidobacterium longum. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2020 Nov 13;10:100174.
