John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

I started working with potent antioxidants more than 15 years ago. These include nature's most potent antioxidant OPC, which is extracted from the purple pigments on red wine grape seeds. We soon started to get reports of people with primary hypertension noting their blood pressure had reduced and/or stabilised.

There were only two possible mechanisms for OPC to help lower blood pressure. It was either the ability to neutralise free radicals that were damaging blood vessels, or their anti-inflammatory properties.

Recent research has confirmed that free radicals play a major role in the cause of primary hypertension. A study ‘Oxidative Stress in Hypertension' (De Champlain 2004; Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypertension) identified the role free radicals play in changes to blood vessel walls in hypertension. It concluded free radicals damage the smooth muscle that forms the lining of blood vessels, causing narrowing of blood vessels and therefore increasing blood pressure.

The secret to effective antioxidant therapy is combining antioxidants that work together for maximum benefit and, of course, adding these at the right levels. For hypertension, I usually build the programme around 500mg of water extracted 95 per cent concentration OPC, 500mg of hesperidin, 1000mg of combined ascorbates (vitamin C), 1000mg Acai extract, 100mg high grade Resveratrol, 100mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid, plus other supporting compounds such as Goji, Ginkgo, Green Tea and various trace minerals and vitamins.

The whole purpose of this approach is to combat free radicals damaging blood vessels. This will do several things. Firstly, it reduces constriction and secondly, it can result in better structure of the entire blood vessel. One of the main problems with blood vessels is free radicals damaging collagen causing over-twisting (cross-linking) of collagen fibres, which harden blood vessels resulting in increased resistance and therefore blood pressure.

This approach not only can help hypertension, it can help other circulatory problems such as fluid retention, cramps, muscle pain and in some cases, varicose and spider veins. As with any nutritional therapy, it is important to get good advice and to work to a programme that includes appropriate diet. Over time, this can mean a real improvement to the health of your blood vessels and uninterrupted blood flow is the key to good health. To join my weekly newsletter visit www.johnarts.co.nz or www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone 07 578 9051 or 0800 423 559.