It’s well documented that certain ethnic groups are more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

The question is why; and if so, is there something you can do to lower your blood pressure naturally despite your ethnicity?

Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics have been historically seen to have higher blood pressure compared to Caucasian counterparts who eat the same diet.

While there is a clear body of scientific evidence supporting the idea that members of certain ethnicities do tend to develop high blood pressure more often than people from other ethnic backgrounds, the reason still remains unknown.

A group of researchers recently attempted to examine the increase in high blood pressure risk exhibited by African-American populations. To do so, they compared certain biological factors known to influence blood pressure in populations of African-Americans and native populations from the African continent.

Although they found many genetic similarities, they also discovered a hard-to-pin genetic variant that actually provided protection from high blood pressure, leading to very inconclusive results.

Some scientists believe that high blood pressure in African-Americans is the result of the unique experience of the black population in the U.S. – since worldwide, people of color have rates of high blood pressure that are similar to white people on average.

In the U.S., however, the difference is dramatic, at 41% as compared to 27% amongst white people. In addition, black people in the U.S are more likely to be overweight than black people in other countries. Which again raises the issue of social and economic factors, including discrimination and economic inequality.

Similar studies carried out on various Asian populations found that blood pressure tends to decrease when cultural circumstances change, which supports the theory that people who occupy a lower place on the socioeconomic ladder have poorer health care and less healthy lifestyles.

Even though the data shows that certain ethnic groups are at an increased risk for developing high blood pressure, it is not totally clear whether this increased risk is a function of genetic influences, or whether some social aspects and socioeconomic factors contribute more strongly than genetics.

This inconclusive data has led some to question the narrow guidelines that may be unrealistic for some populations.

Dr. Paolo Verdecchia from the Department of Internal Medicine in Italy, raises the question that European and North American blood pressure guidelines are putting Asians at risk and suggests that a threshold below the new recommendation of 140/90 mmHg might be more appropriate, particularly for the elderly population.

A textbook definition of normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg; however, the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that lowering blood pressure below 120/80 can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease even more.

But since high blood pressure is mostly caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, it’s important to use the best natural methods to lower it. Here are 3 easy exercises, guaranteed to bring your blood pressure below 120/80 – starting today…