The Delicious Reason Why Kuna Indians Have Low Blood Pressure
Even with diets high in salt and low in leafy greens
The Kuna Indians living on a group of islands off the Caribbean Coast of Panama have a reduced incidence of stroke, diabetes, cancer, and heart attacks. They live longer than other people living in Panama.
Kuna islanders over the age of 60 experience low blood pressure, which on average is below 110/70 mm Hg.
This prompted a research team led by Dr. Norman Hollenberg in the 1990s to take a closer look:
“While we know a large number of potential contributors to blood pressure from the diet, including intake of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, soluble fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, alcohol, protein, and calories, these individually have small effects. […] even if one added them up, they would not likely account for a blood pressure below 110/70 mm Hg.”
Originally, researchers thought that this may have been genetic. They wanted to learn more about "good" genes when it came to blood pressure.
Soon, however, they found out that there was not a genetic connection. Kuna immigrants that moved to an urban environment and lived the modern western lifestyle, started to experience hypertension that rose with age.
