How Your Kidneys Affect Blood Pressure

By Dr. Carrie Jones Expert HERWriter

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Millions of women have high blood pressure. When you get your blood pressure taken, it’s measuring the force of blood against the vessel walls. This directly impacts your kidneys because they, in turn, filter out 200 quarts of blood every day to remove waste.

Your kidneys also produce a hormone called Renin that regulates arterial blood pressure. If your blood volume drops, if you have a decrease in sodium chloride levels, or if you have an increase in your sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight) then renin is released.

This then activates the renin-angiotensin system by taking a hormone produced by the liver and converting it into another hormone (angiotensin II) in the lungs. This then constricts blood vessels, tells the adrenals to secrete aldosterone (to hold in sodium and water), and tells the brain to make you thirsty.

On the flip side, high blood pressure over time can damage the tiny capillaries that filter waste and create a problem. This leads to increased toxins in the body and eventually kidney failure. When the kidneys become damaged, they cannot produce renin effectively so blood pressure continues to rise.

Blood pressure is divided into two numbers. The top number is called systolic and measures the force the heart uses to pump blood out to the body. The bottom number is called diastolic and measures the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats and fills with blood. A normal blood pressure is under 120/80 mmHg. Pre-hypertension occurs at numbers between 120-139/80-89 mmHg. Once your number goes above 140/90 mmHg then you have a big problem. It becomes an emergency at numbers higher than 180/110 mmHg.

Some natural blood pressure supports include low sodium, high potassium diets, CoQ10 (100-200mg/day), garlic (as a food or a supplement), the herb Hawthorn, a good quality fish oil (or eat fresh caught salmon), calcium (1000mg/day), magnesium (250-500mg), and stress reduction techniques (exercise, meditation, yoga, laughing...etc).

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.