My BP is normally around 130/80 (I take 2.5 mg of Ramipril per day), and I measure it most days, but last week I was alarmed to get a reading of 162/87, which did not change much the next day.
I wondered what could have caused it, and wondered if it could be something I had eaten. I had bought some Brazil nuts for snacks, which I do not normally do, and had been eating about 8 per day for a few days. I was aware that Brazil nuts contain very large amounts of Selenium, which we need in limited amounts, but 8 nuts per day give several times as much as you need. On searching the Internet I found that there is some evidence that high levels of selenium can increase BP (although, as usual with nutrition, different research gives conflicting results). I therefore stopped eating the nuts, and now, after just a few days, my BP is down to around 130/80 again.
I will certainly avoid eating them in substantial amounts in future!
I wondered what could have caused it, and wondered if it could be something I had eaten. I had bought some Brazil nuts for snacks, which I do not normally do, and had been eating about 8 per day for a few days. I was aware that Brazil nuts contain very large amounts of Selenium, which we need in limited amounts, but 8 nuts per day give several times as much as you need. On searching the Internet I found that there is some evidence that high levels of selenium can increase BP (although, as usual with nutrition, different research gives conflicting results). I therefore stopped eating the nuts, and now, after just a few days, my BP is down to around 130/80 again.
I will certainly avoid eating them in substantial amounts in future!
