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Approximately 67 million, orone in three Americans, havehigh blood pressure, accord-ing to the Centers forDisease Control and

Prevention (CDC). Yet that numbercould be even higher, as high bloodpressure rarely shows any signs orsymptoms. “Headache, dizziness, short-ness of breath and blurred vision couldbe symptomatic of high blood pressure,but regular blood pressure screeningsare critical since the symptoms may notappear until after damage has occur-red,” said Dan Lifton, CEO of NewYork-based Quality of Life Labs.

The lack of symptoms is why highblood pressure is often called “thesilent killer,” offered Cheryl Myers, headof education and scientific affairs atWisconsin-based EuroPharma, Inc. “Toa lot of people, being told that they

have high blood pressure comes as acomplete surprise,” she said.

Also known as hypertension, highblood pressure is a common conditionin which the force of the blood againstartery walls is high enough that it mayeventually cause health problems,according to the Mayo Clinic. “Whenblood pressure stays elevated overtime, it can inflict damage on thebody,” said Natalie Jones, MS, CNS,product information specialist atFlorida-based Life Extension. “Theexcessive pressure on the artery wallscan damage blood vessels, as well asorgans in the body. Uncontrolled hyper-tension can lead to an increased risk ofserious health conditions, including con-gestive heart failure, heart attack,stroke, atherosclerosis, brain damage,vision loss and kidney failure, amongother things.”

Blood pressure is determined by theamount of blood the heart pumps andthe amount of resistance to blood flowin the arteries. The American HeartAssociation (AHA) sites the normalblood pressure range as a systolic (topnumber) reading of less than 120, and adiastolic (lower number) reading as lessthan 80. When the reading is high, thecause can often be difficult for doctorsto determine. “Most people have what’scalled ‘essential hypertension,’ whichmeans doctors don’t know the cause,”said Arnold Gitomer, owner of WillnerChemists, a nutritionally oriented phar-macy in New York, NY. In these cases,general stress is often the culprit. But anunhealthy diet and sedentary lifestylecan also cause trouble by leading tochronic inflammation and poor cardio-vascular function, said Myers. “Toomuch sitting during the day and too

By Carolyn Steber

As millions of Americans are living with high blood

pressure, retailers are poised to offer much-needed

support with natural supplements and education.

FEBRUARY 2014 ■ WWW.VITAMINRETAILER.COM Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence 1994-2014 VITAMIN RETAILER 21

many processed, high-sodium foods willcatch up [to you] eventually, and some-times sooner than later.”

Other risk factors include smoking, afamily history of high blood pressure,obesity and age. And with the largenumber of Baby Boomers in the U.S.,the pre-hypertensive and hypertensivepopulation is increasing faster than ever,leading to a strong market for cardio-vascular supplements.

Natural InterventionsHigh blood pressure has become thecondition that consumers most oftentreat with prescription medications,according to a 2012 Mintel report. Butmany find they are unhappy with thelong list of potential side effects such asdry cough, dizziness, headaches andimpotence. “As a result, many individu-als have turned to a more naturalapproach for managing their bloodpressure, including lifestyle modifica-tions (diet, exercise, mental health) andintegrating dietary supplements intotheir daily regimen,” said Jones.

Life Extension offers a variety of sup-plements that help naturally controlblood pressure, including Cardio Peakwith Standardized Hawthorn and Arjuna.The hawthorn in Cardio Peak containsspecific bioflavonoid complexes thathelp to promote normal circulation andefficient heart muscle function, while thearjuna extract complements the effect ofthe hawthorn by enhancing heart muscletone and supporting healthy endothelialfunction, Jones explained.

The company also offers Natural BPManagement, which provides a multi-nutrient formulation of CVH-15, grapeseed extract and pomegranate extract.CVH-15 is derived from whey proteinand naturally inhibits angiotensin-con-verting enzymes, while grape seedincreases blood vessel dilation andpomegranate provides antioxidant sup-port. “Natural BP Management is thefirst broad-spectrum nutritional supple-ment to combine potent, standardizedconcentrations of the novel nutritionalagents,” Jones said.

EuroPharma alsooffers several prod-ucts that help keepblood pressure num-bers in a healthyrange while buildingthe strength and flexi-bility of arteries andimproving blood flow.Myers recommendedtwo products: BloodPressure Health and

Mesoglycan.Blood Pressure Health provides

olive leaf extract that has been stan-dardized to contain 16 to 24 percentoleuropein, one of the healthy com-pounds found in olive oil that helpskeep arteries flexible and strong,and has been shown to reduceblood pressure.

In a clinical trial, administration ofa special olive leaf extract loweredsystolic pressure by 11 points anddiastolic pressure by five points.1

“That’s very impressive, especially foranyone hovering around the higher endof ‘normal’ blood pressure numbers,”Myers said.

Researchers found olive leaf helpslower blood pressure because it is highin antioxidants that protect the walls ofblood vessels from free radical damage.It also helps widen narrow blood ves-sels, acting as a vasodilator, so thatblood flows more easily to the heart,said Myers. “In other words, it is like thedifference you’d see when wateringyour garden with a narrow, brittle hoseversus a wider, newer and more flexiblehose,” she explained. “Olive leafextract simply helps blood vessels andarteries work better and stay healthier.”

Blood Pressure Health also containshibiscus flower extract standardized toprovide at least 45 percent polyphe-nols, which are natural free-radical fight-ers, according to Myers.

“Clinical studies show a lot of prom-ise for hibiscus for lowering blood pres-sure,” she said, adding that in onestudy of hibiscus, participants with mild-ly elevated blood pressure experienceda seven-point drop in systolic bloodpressure after consuming hibiscus tea,while participants with high blood pres-sure levels (over 129) had a 14-pointdrop. “If you’ve ever struggled with ele-vated blood pressure, you know theseare great numbers.”

The beneficial polyphenols in hibis-cus, known as anthocyanins, are respon-sible for the plant’s blood pressure-low-ering abilities. “In the case of hibiscus,these anthocyanins work as naturalangiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)inhibitors, moderating the activity of anenzyme that cause blood vessels to nar-row and blood pressure to increase,”said Myers.

Retailers have had great success withBlood Pressure Health, which is soldunder EuroPharma’s Terry Naturallybrand. “Ever since that product hasbeen available, [my customers] have allsaid ‘this one works,’” said Ginny Hill,owner of Hill’s Health Hut in Jefferson

City, TN, who has been in the naturalhealth industry for more than 30 years.“They like the fact that they don’t haveto take six pills a day. They love thattheir blood pressure stays in check.”

EuroPharma’s other blood pressureproduct, Mesoglycan, is an excellentsource of building blocks called gly-cosaminoglycans, or GAGs, which are avital and necessary component whenbuilding the walls of blood vessels andarteries, according to Myers.

“Mesoglycan has been shown to pre-vent or slow atherosclerosis (hardeningof the arteries), as well as to treat otherdiseases of the veins and arteries,including chronic venous insufficiencyand diabetic retinopathy,” she said.“Mesoglycan has more than one mech-anism of action: it works on the actualformation of blood vessel walls, helpingthem to be strong, yet flexible, plus ithelps keep blood moving through ourarteries and blood vessels.”

Also available is Quality of Life Labs’AmealBP, featuring AmealPeptide, apatented combination of two lac-totripeptides from milk protein devel-

oped in Japan andbacked by 22human clinical stud-ies. “It works likemany anti-hyper-tensive medicationsby inhibiting theangiotensis-con-verting enzymes(ACE), but it’s 100percent natural andfree of sideeffects,” said Lifton.

A 2002 double-blind, placebo-con-trolled study followed subjects with mildhypertension as they consumed 635 mgof AmealPeptide in liquid form daily foreight weeks. “All subjects showed a sig-nificant reduction in systolic and dias-tolic blood pressure … and there wereno reported side effects,” said Lifton,adding that many studies afterwardreported similar results.

Quality of Life Labs is currently work-

22 VITAMIN RETAILER Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence 1994-2014 WWW.VITAMINRETAILER.COM ■ FEBRUARY 2014

ing on a multi-ingredient complex thatwill combine AmealPeptide with apatented hibiscus extract CardioHB andCoQ10-SR, the company’s patentedform of CoQ10, to create a multi-actionanti-hypertensive formula, said Lifton.

New York-based Twinlab Corporationalso offers a blood pressure supple-ment, Blood Pressure Success, which isa proprietary product that supportshealthy blood pressure already withinnormal ranges. It includes two nutraceu-ticals, MegaNatural-BP and magnesium,at clinically relevant doses.

MegaNatural-BP has been shown inresearch using animal models to acti-vate the enzyme nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) to produce nitric oxide (NO), animportant compound for supportinghealthy circulation2, according to GeneBruno, director of category manage-ment at Twinlab. Magnesium is alsoincluded since this mineral is requiredfor active transport of ions like potassi-um and calcium across cell membranes.Through its role in ion transport sys-tems, magnesium affects the conduc-tion of nerve impulses, muscle contrac-tion and normal heart rhythm.3

The product was recently reformulat-ed based on relevant dosing ofMegaNatural-BP and magnesium usedin human clinical research. “Eventhough it is more costly, Twinlab choseto use a higher dose of MegaNatural-BP, which has more human clinicalresearch to support it. Likewise, theamount and typeof magnesium inBlood PressureSuccess is thesame as the mag-nesium used inhuman clinicalresearch, not justany type of mag-nesium,” saidBruno. “We arecommitted todelivering prod-ucts that work, andcustomers shouldbe pleased with the results.”

Educating the CommunityMany people are going into health foodstores in search of natural solutions for

cardiovascular health issues, saidEuroPharma’s Myers, even if they aren’tclear on the mechanisms of action or“why” the supplements are good forthem. She also pointed out the lack ofunderstanding among consumers thatthe risk factors for heart attack are thesame risk factors for stroke. “Highblood pressure raises your risk of bothcatastrophic events, so even more rea-son to keep your blood pressure wellwithin normal range,” she said.

This is where retailers can step in toprovide educational efforts. Myers sug-gests store owners host a “How to beNaturally Heart-Smart” event that fea-tures heart-healthy foods and supple-ments so consumers can learn first-handwhat is good for them. “It would givepeople more inspiration for makingtheir own heart-friendly meals at home,and they could talk to experts aboutwhich supplemental measures would beright for them,” said Myers.

Many companies provide supplementinformation and educational opportuni-ties to retailers. For example, Twinlabprovides retailer training, product infor-mation, website resources and other in-store merchandizing, as well as brandadvertising to support sales, said Bruno.“Retailers looking to boost sales ofthese products would do well to cross-merchandise them with other cardiovas-cular health support products likeTwinlab’s Omega-3 Cardio Krill,Twinlab’s CoQ10 dots, garlic, etc.,” headded.

EuroPharma also provides educationto retail partners in the form of product

webinars for store staff, ingredient infor-mation to share with customers and in-store presentations. Ginny Hill, of Hill’sHealth Hut, has a rack of EuroPharma’seducational materials in her store, andshe provides the information to cus-tomers so they can learn about theiroptions. “We want people to behealthy,” said Myers. “After all, ourshared goal in this field … is to helpcreate a more aware and healthiercountry.” VR

References:1 Perrinjaquet-Moccetti T, Busjahn A, Schmidlin C,

Schmidt A, Bradl B, Aydogan C. Food supplementationwith an olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf extract reduces bloodpressure in borderlin hypertensive monozygotic twins.Phytother Res. 2008;22(9):1239-42.

2 Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B, Tissa Kappagoda C.Mechanism of the endothelium-dependent relaxationevoked by a grape seed extract. Clin Sci (Lond). 2008Feb;114(4):331-7.

3 Rude RK, Shils ME. Magnesium. In: Shils ME, ShikeM, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, eds. ModernNutrition in Health and Disease. 10th ed. Baltimore:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006:223-247.

Extra! Extra!Visit www.vitaminretailer.com

to read about uniqueheart-healthy foods.

■ EuroPharma, Inc., (920) 406-6500

■ Life Extension, (800) 333-2562■ Quality of Life Labs, (914) 251-

0981■ Twinlab Corporation, (212) 651-

8500

i For More Information:

Heart Healthy TipsA

ccording to The University ofMaryland Medical Center, thereis a multitude of ways to natural-

ly lower blood pressure.• Omega-3 Fish Oils: Some studies

have found these supplements benefitheart disease and hypertension byhelping to keep blood vessels flexible.

• Calcium: Calcium has been shownto regulate the tone of the smoothmuscles lining blood vessels. It hasalso been found that people who havesufficient dietary calcium have lowerblood pressure than those who do not.

• Weight Loss: Even modest weightloss in overweight people can immedi-ately lower blood pressure. Weightloss, especially when accompanied bysalt restriction, may allow patients with

mild hypertension to safely reduce orgo off medications, according to TheUniversity.

• Exercise: Regular exercise helpskeep arteries elastic, ensuring bloodflow and a normal blood pressure.

• Good Sleep Habits: Sleep disor-ders, such as sleep apnea, are associ-ated with hypertension. Poor sleepalso increases stress hormones, whichcan increase blood pressure.

• Stress Reduction: Reducing stressmay lead to lower blood pressure. TheUniversity recommends yoga, tai chiand relaxation techniques, such asmeditation.

Source: High Blood Pressure.University of Maryland Medical Center.www.umm.edu.