According to new research, the blood pressure barometer finally located by University of Virginia scientists may provide some benefits.
The body has natural blood pressure barometers; however, scientists have been looking for them for more than 60 years. Recently, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine did what others couldn’t: they found their location.
According to their news release, blood pressure barometers are cellular sensors that can detect subtle changes in blood pressure. As a result, they can then adjust hormone levels to keep blood pressure levels in check.
While previous scientists didn’t know where these barometers (called baroreceptors) were located, researchers believed they existed in specialized kidney cells. These kidney cells are called renin cells – but nobody could find the baroreceptors until Dr. Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez and her team stepped in.
“It was exhilarating to find that the elusive pressure-sensing mechanism, the baroreceptor, was intrinsic to the renin cell,” says Sequeira-Lopez. “[It] has the ability to sense and react, both within the same cell… the renin cells are sensors and responders.”
Dr. Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez works in the university’s Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Research Center.
Baroreceptors and their Function
The way these barometers work is by detecting the pressure outside the renin cell. When they sense too much pressure, they restrict the production of renin, a hormone that regulates blood pressure.
In contrast, when these baroreceptors sense that the blood pressure is too low, they increase the production of renin. As a result, this mechanism helps the body maintain a normal amount of blood pressure.
“I feel really excited about this discovery, a real tour de force several years in the making,” says Sequeira-Lopez. “We had a great collaboration with Dr. [Douglas] DeSimone from the Department of Cell Biology.”
“I am also excited with the work to come,” she adds. “[Scientists can] use the information to develop therapies for hypertension.” To learn more, read their findings which are currently available in the online scientific journal Circulation Research.
The Outlook
Through their research, Dr. Sequeira-Lopez and her colleagues have given us a new insight into how blood pressure works. In the future, scientists can take these new findings and develop new treatment options for high blood pressure and more.
Currently, the research shows that the best things you can do to improve your blood pressure health are to exercise regularly and eat healthily. You can also take daily heart supplements like L-arginine Plus if you want an extra boost.
It contains l-arginine, l-citrulline, and key vitamins and minerals that work together to promote your circulation and blood pressure health. Give your health the support it needs right now and take L-arginine Plus alongside regular exercise and healthy diets.