Doesn't it seem like when it comes to nutrition or more opinions than facts to go around?

Every day we hear new theories about diets, supplements, best foods, my role is to take

them mystery out of good nutrition and look at the science.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast.

I'm your host and Dr. Michael Greger.

And I'm here to bring you an evidence-based approach to the best way to live a healthier

and longer life.

Guess what the number two killer risk factor in the world is after diet?

High blood pressure.

But it turns out hypertension can also be treated as a choice in that life sentence.

How, you may ask, the first line treatment for hypertension is lifestyle modification.

In our first story, we explore the dash diet.

The American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention recommend as the first line treatment lifestyle modification.

If that does work, you can start the patient on a thizi-diuretic, water pill, and then

keep piling on the meds until you get their blood pressure down.

Commonly, people end up on three drugs, though researchers are experimenting with forward

time and some people end up on five.

Why not just jump straight to the drugs?

Well, they don't treat the underlying cause and they can cause side effects, less than half

of patients stick with even the first line drugs, perhaps due to this adverse effects, such

as erectile dysfunction, fatigue, and muscle cramps.

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