Blood pressure readings consist of two parts: systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. The top number is our systolic blood pressure measurement, or the amount of pressure placed on the inside of the blood vessels with every heartbeat, explains the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number that tells us how much pressure our blood places on our arteries between heartbeats. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a reading of 130/80 or higher.
Medication is one way to manage high blood pressure, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are among the more common blood pressure-lowering medications taken by patients, accounting for 35% of all antihypertensive prescriptions in the U.S. (via The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology). ACE inhibitors work by stopping molecules from constricting the blood vessels (via Stat News). As a side effect, however, ACE inhibitors can cause potassium to accumulate in the body. Because of this, the last thing we need is any more potassium.
