High Blood Pressure and Mercury Exposure
How Mercury in the Body Can Cause High Blood Pressure
A growing body of medical literature has discovered the damaging effects of mercury on endothelial (the inner lining of blood vessels) function and vascular smooth muscle function. Mercury induces mitochondrial dysfunction with the reduction in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), depletion of glutathione, and increased lipid peroxidation. Increased oxidative stress and reduced oxidative defense are common.
The overall vascular effects of mercury include increased oxidative stress and inflammation, reduced oxidative defense, risk of blood clots, abnormal cholesterol levels, and immune and mitochondrial dysfunction.
The clinical consequences of mercury toxicity include hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, reduced heart rate variability, increased carotid artery wall thickness and carotid artery obstruction, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), generalized atherosclerosis, and kidney dysfunction. (more…)