High blood pressure can cause many health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, vascular dementia, and kidney diseases. This is why blood pressure should be kept within normal levels and managed effectively through healthier lifestyles and better food choices. While table salt is a clear contributor to high blood pressure or hypertension, several other surprising foods can also worsen the condition and affect heart health.

Pickles
Pickles is one of the foods that raise blood pressure as they contain high amounts of sodium present in the canned liquid. Salt is used as a natural preservative as it prevents decay, keeping pickled cucumbers or other vegetables edible for a long time. One can pick low sodium options when buying pickles.

Sea salt
Many people substitute table salt with sea salt or Himalayan salt to reduce their sodium intake. However, sea salt contains the same amount of sodium as table salt. While pink or Himalayan has slightly lower sodium content, all kinds of salts in excessive amounts can contribute to increased blood pressure levels.

Frozen foods
Frozen pizza, meat, or readymade dinner is one of the foods that raise blood pressure as they contain high levels of sodium that help preserve and store them.

Sugary drinks
Bottled juices, sodas, and other canned beverages contain artificial flavors and excessive sugar. Added sugar plays a key role in increasing blood pressure.

A rise in blood pressure is a serious issue that can lead affect the arteries and the heart, known as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This causes the arteries in the lungs to become narrow, reducing the blood flow to the heart. This is why doctors can recommend treatments that treat high blood pressure and PAH. Some popular options are:

Adempas: This is a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator that relaxes the arteries to relax, widening them and enabling better blood flow. Adempas is an oral prescription treatment that can be given in doses of 0.5–1 mg for beginners as recommended by the doctor.

Ambrisentan: This is another oral prescription treatment that relieves PAH and high blood pressure conditions. PAH is brought on by increased levels of a natural substance called endothelin-1 in the body. Ambrisentan effectively blocks the effects of endothelin-1, decreasing blood pressure.

Bosentan: This is a popular prescription option for PAH that helps lower blood pressure in the lungs. Bosentan is a soluble medication taken orally, usually twice a day, based on the doctor’s recommendation.