What affects do the minerals Iron, Calcium, Vitamin E, Potassium, and Magnesium have on your blood pressuressure? By Hadin S. and Liam M.

What is Blood Pressure Blood pressure is the reading of how much force is on an artery wall as it flows through the veins. 73 million adults suffer from high or low blood pressure. 70 Million suffer from high blood pressure while only 3 million suffer from low blood pressure.

How blood pressure is read Blood pressure readings have two numbers, for example 140/90 mmHg. The top number is your systolic blood pressure. (The highest pressure when your heart beats and pushes the blood round your body.) The bottom one is your diastolic blood pressure. (The lowest pressure when your heart relaxes between beats.)

About High Blood Pressure High Blood pressure is a condition when the force of blood on a artery wall is to high. Hypertension is defined as a blood pressure over 140/90 Often high blood pressure had no symptoms, but often leads to other diseases like strokes, heart attacks, and peripheral, arterial disease(PAD) Blood pressure is measured by a sphygmomanometer

About Low Blood pressure Low blood pressure can cause Strokes, Heart attacks, and kidney failure. Symptoms include lightheadedness, dizziness, and fainting. A common cause of low blood pressure is a low amount of blood. Low blood pressure is when the force of blood on a artery wall decreases below 90/60.

What minerals help keep blood pressure normal Through our research we found out that multiple sources said that calcium, potassium,vitamin e, magnesium, and iron can help you raise or lower your blood pressure. This is because you need these minerals to keep your blood pressure stable. Without them your body pressure can end up rising or dropping significantly. A major way we can get these minerals is through foods. There are many types of foods from meats and dairy products that allow you to get these minerals.

Potassium's effect on blood pressure Potassium lowers blood pressure through Salt. Potassium in the body helps balance the overall amount of salt in your body. Without potassium, Salt is excessive in the body. The salt then reduces the ability for your kidneys to get out extra fluid. This extra fluid then remains in your blood stream. With more fluid it puts more stress on your arteries and leads to higher blood pressure. So with Potassium, the kidneys continue to work properly and remove extra fluid, allowing for your blood pressure to stay at a good level.

Potassium Chart (Foods with high amount of Potassium) Food Potassium amount Proportions of (100g) Bananas 422mg approx.(118g) Potatoes 897mg approx.(varies )(213g) sun dried tomatoes 1,722mg approx.(varies ) (110g) 1, kidney beans 2,587mg approx.(184g) avocado708mg (146g) tuna275mg(85g) catfish296mg(87g) Salmon 719 mg (198g) Acorn Squash486mg(140g) Raisins322mg(43g) Dried Fruit(banana chips) 152mg(28.4g) Milk366mg(244g)150 Chicken312mg(140g) Beef270mg(85g) Spinach167mg(30g) Duck286mg(140g) Pork360mg(85g)423.53

Calcium's effect on blood pressure Calcium's effect on blood pressure has to do with the artery walls. Calcium does this because with Calcium in the blood it helps your muscles contract and expand. This allows blood to flow through smoothly. But, with low Calcium in blood, it will cause the artery walls to tighten. This means less blood can flow through and puts stress on your artery walls.

Calcium Chart(Foods with high amount of Calcium) Food Calcium amount(per 100g) Cheese721mg Yogurt110mg Milk125mg Sardines382mg Spinach99mg

Magnesium's effect on Blood Pressure. Magnesium's effect with blood pressure has to do with the muscles contracting and relaxing including the muscles on your Veins and arteries. With magnesium it helps these muscles relax. Without Magnesium the muscles can’t relax and stay contracted. This closes up the space for the blood to move through the veins resulting in high blood pressure. Therefore, Magnesium is needed for the muscles to relax and let blood flow through.

Magnesium Chart (Foods with high amounts of Magnesium Food Magnesium amount Proportions of (100g) Spinach24mg(30g)80mg Pumpkin Seeds 168 mg(64g)262.5 Chard29mg(36g)80.55 Yogurt19mg(170g)11.17 Almonds75mg(28g) Black Beans 294mg(184g) Figs26mg(261g)9.96 Dark Chocolate 41mg(28.4g) Avocado42mg(146g)28.76

Irons effect on blood pressure Iron actually helps keep your blood pressure up. A low amount of Iron can lead to things such as anemia. This is when there isn't enough hemoglobin in the blood (a iron-protein compound used in red blood cells to transport oxygen) or not enough red blood cells. Usually this is because of an low amount of Iron. That means that Iron helps us form low blood pressure.

Iron Chart FoodIron AmountProportions of (100g) Liver15.2mg(85g)17.88 Oysters6.1mg(88g)6.93 ChickPeas0.8mg(12.5g)6.4 Fortified Cereals? Pumpkin seeds2.1mg(64g)3.28 Soybeans29.2mg(186g)15.7 Black Beans16mg(184g)8.69 Lentils0.4mg(12.3g)3.25 Spinach0.8mg(30g)2.67

Vitamin E's effect on Blood pressure Vitamin E has an effect through the veins. Vitamin E is essential because it reduces the oxidation of lipids and fatty acids in the body (This oxidation can lead to the buildup of plaque on the inside of the artery walls). The oxidation of these lipids can lead to cellular and tissue radiation and damage which then leads to chronic inflammation, especially vascular inflammation. This means that there is a buildup of plaque within artery walls. Like the muscles contracting, this reduces space which then leads to high blood pressure.

Vitamin E Chart FoodVitamin E amount Porortions of (100g) Cooked Spinach 3.74mg 1.8mg Almonds 6.03mg 576mg Sunflower Seeds 12.31mg(100g) 12.31mg Avocados 3.11mg per avocado 278 mg Shellfish 8mg(127g) 7.6mg Rainbow Trout Olive Oil 1.94mg per TBS 17.44mg Broccoli 4.1mg per serving 2.2mg Pumpkin 2mg(280g) 0.014mg Kiwifruit2.6mg(177g) 0.406mg

Recommended Amounts (Daily ages 9-13) Magnesium- Male- 240 mg Female- 240 mg Iron- Male- 8 mg Female- 8 mg Calcium- Male- 1,300 mg Female- 1,300 mg Potassium- Male- 4,500 mg Female- 4,500 mg Vitamin E- Male- 11 mg Female- 11 mg