- Diuretic supplements provide a wide range of health benefits when used to fight high blood pressure
- These supplements – and diuretics in general – can reduce the levels of body sodium and water absorption to improve blood flow in the body
- Diuretics are often combined with other types of blood pressure medications
Diuretics are foods and drugs which induce excess fluid loss through constant urination and in the process the body is assisted to remove some unwanted materials (salt and water) via the urine. One of the ways of lowering the blood pressure is by removing excess water and salts so the heart can pump better. Therefore diuretics are often used to alleviate heart diseases, such as hypertension and heart failure.
How Diuretics Work
Diuretics are used to lower the blood pressure because they cause water and sodium to be removed from the blood thereby reducing the pressure on the walls of the blood vessels.
Therefore to further improve the effectiveness of blood pressure drugs, they are taken in combination with diuretics as these diuretics stop the increase in fluid volume which may occur when these drugs are taken. They also help reduce the levels of body sodium and prevent excessive water absorption.
Diuretics are fist applied in handling hypertension cases before other medications are brought in to help to first of all control the blood pressure of the patient. Generally, these are diuretic supplements, although some foods do the job as well.
Diuretic Examples
1) Thiazide Diuretics
This class of diuretics is got from the benzothiadiazine and they act to reduce salt retention in the blood vessels by inhibiting the re-intake of sodium and chloride ions from the distal convoluted tubule. They also help to remove potassium from the blood stream therefore the net effect of the action of this drug family is the reduction of the salt content in the blood stream. Some generic names of drugs in this category are chlorthalidone and chlorthalidone combinations packaged under such brand names as chlorpres, thalifone and tenoretic.
2) Loop diuretics
Unlike the thiazide diuretics that act along the distal convoluted tubule, the loop diuretics actions are found across the ascending loop of Henley where they cause the sodium-potassium-chloride symporter to prevent the re-intake of sodium and chloride salts. This they achieve by competitive inhibition of chloride salts from their binding sites. They also prevent magnesium and calcium re-uptake since their reabsorption depends on the sodium and chloride availability.
Also potassium reabsorption is equally hindered by this salt as the net reduction or lack of electropositive gradient resulting from loop diuretic’s actions hinders potassium absorption into the blood vessels. Loop diuretics are essentially prescribed for people that suffer heart failure, kidney and leg fluid retention.
3) Potassium
This class of diuretics differs from others as they spare potassium. They rather inhibit the expression of proteins that are aldosterone-induced which they achieve by competitively inhibiting the binding aldosterone at their intracellular receptor sites. The repression of these proteins prevents the stimulation of Na-K exchange sites along the collection tubule and so preventing Na re-uptake. Drugs in this class fall under the generic names; amiloride, spironolactone and brand names such as dyazide , aldactone etc.
4) Natural Diuretics
Natural diuretics abound in nature and these are foods that possess diuretic properties. They can equally be used to reduce the volume of fluid retention in the body. Such diuretics include oats which contain silica (a natural diuretic) and tomatoes which have high levels of Vitamin C.
People who need a diuretic can also find many high quality supplements on the market which can provide them with the benefits they need.
Tags: diuretic supplements
