608 | id == 608
608 | category_id == 96
608 | category_order == 29
608 | category_name == Blood Pressure
608 | category_color == #C47AC0
608 | slug == BCL2-blood-pressure
608 | title == The Relationship Between a Cell Death Regulator & Blood Pressure (BCL2)
608 | meta_description == BCL2 helps promote cell survival. Variants of BCL2 have been associated with high blood pressure. Read more here.
608 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><em>BCL2</em> codes for a protein that helps promote cell survival. Read more to find out how variants of <em>BCL2</em> may increase the odds of high blood pressure, and how you may be able to mitigate their negative effects.</strong></p>
608 | overall_score_text == Your Blood Pressure Score (based on BCL2 gene)
608 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/BCL2-Blood-Pressure.jpg
608 | author_id == 14
608 | author_name == Shany Lahan
608 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
608 | author_order == 5
608 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
608 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
608 | reviewer == None
608 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
608 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
608 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
608 | publish_date == 2021
608 | publish_date == 1
608 | publish_date == 19
608 | avg_rating == 5.0
608 | tags_id == 216
608 | tags_name == Apoptosis
608 | tags_id == 812
608 | tags_name == Bcl-2
608 | tags_id == 214
608 | tags_name == BCL2 Gene
608 | tags_id == 372
608 | tags_name == Blood vessels
608 | tags_id == 768
608 | tags_name == Cell Death
608 | tags_id == 1156
608 | tags_name == Heart Failure
608 | tags_id == 1139
608 | tags_name == High Blood Pressure
608 | tags_id == 335
608 | tags_name == Hypertension
608 | permissions_favorite == False
608 | permissions_rate == False
608 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">codes for a protein that prevents programmed cell death. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in blood pressure by lowering levels of bcl-2, which may result in reduced blood vessel numbers and increased blood flow resistance. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by slightly increasing or preventing a decrease in bcl-2 production.&nbsp;</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong><strong> and Blood Pressure</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/bcl2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for B cell lymphoma 2 (bcl-2), a protein that promotes the survival and division of cells by suppressing programmed cell death (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">apoptosis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cell proliferation and programmed cell death are two opposing processes that play major roles in the structural changes of tissues. Studies have shown that an imbalance in these processes within heart muscle cells and blood vessel muscle cells may contribute to decreased tissue density [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7558225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10728395/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6425263/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specifically, elevated programmed cell death may drastically lower the number of small blood vessels (arterioles and capillaries). This can increase the resistance of larger blood vessels (arteries) to blood flow, raising blood pressure and leading to secondary conditions such as heart failure [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7558225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19675586/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with high blood pressure (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">hypertension</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">). These variants may lower the production of bcl-2, resulting in excessive cell death and blood flow resistance [</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0303-9"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6123211/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong><strong> Results for Blood Pressure</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4773408634706286*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>BCL2 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs12454712/"><strong>rs12454712</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0303-9"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Higher odds of high blood pressure, relative to &lsquo;C&rsquo;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Lower odds of high blood pressure, relative to &lsquo;T&rsquo;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*9589418740666442*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Lowering Blood Pressure</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*9638476691368105*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;s important to keep bcl-2 balanced in the body. While low amounts of bcl-2 have been linked to high blood pressure, high amounts of bcl-2 have been linked to uncontrolled growth and division of abnormal cells (cancer).</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The recommendations listed below may prevent a decrease or slightly increase bcl-2. However, it&rsquo;s important to speak with your doctor before making any significant changes to your lifestyle, diet, or supplements -- especially if you may be at increased risk of cancer.&nbsp;</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Stress Management</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chronic psychological </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/63-factors-raising-stress-cortisol-level-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stress</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may exacerbate programmed cell death, partly by lowering levels of bcl-2. This suggests that chronic stress may worsen the negative effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3988397/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experiencing psychological stress was associated with a ~2.5-fold higher risk of high blood pressure in a meta-analysis of 11 studies. In people with high response to stressors, psychological stress further increases blood pressure by 21% [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28415916/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19347197/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stress from job strain has also been associated with higher blood pressure, especially in men [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12883105/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673518/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stress-reduction techniques such as stress management training, biofeedback, and muscle relaxation lowered blood pressure in several clinical trials [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25084308/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2268875/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18548088/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Stress management may lower blood pressure by preventing further decreases in bcl-2 and excessive programmed cell death.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diet</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Reducing Sodium Intake</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">High sodium intake may elevate programmed cell death and worsen the effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16464974/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15001440/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20585106/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Health professionals worldwide recommend restricting sodium intake because it increases blood pressure, which is one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease and stroke [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4089690/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A meta-analysis of 34 clinical trials found that, in those with high blood pressure, reducing </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/is-salt-good-or-bad-the-science-on-the-health-effects-of-salt/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">salt</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> lowers systolic (by 5.4 mmHg) and diastolic (by 2.8 mmHg) blood pressure. Individuals with normal blood pressure show a reduction of 2.4 and 1.0 mmHg [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23558162/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In another meta-analysis of 11 studies, using salt substitutes (such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/potassium/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">potassium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/21-proven-science-based-reasons-magnesium-amazing-including-drawbacks/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">magnesium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/calcium-101/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">calcium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> salts) lowered systolic (by 8.87 mmHg) and diastolic (by 4.04 mmHg) blood pressure in people with high blood pressure [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7047420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, restricting salt may not have direct effects on the risk of death or cardiovascular disease, even in people diagnosed with high blood pressure [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21540421/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9519949/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Reducing sodium intake may lower blood pressure by preventing further decreases in bcl-2 and excessive programmed cell death.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>L-Arginine</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple studies have shown that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/l-arginine/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">L-arginine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may protect against programmed cell death, in part by increasing bcl-2 production [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27109989/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33215568/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30685970/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A meta-analysis of 11 trials found that oral L-arginine (4-24 g/day) lowered systolic (by 5.39 mmHg) and diastolic (by 2.66 mmHg) blood pressure. L-arginine may lower diastolic (by 3.07 mmHg) but not systolic blood pressure in pregnant women, according to a meta-analysis of 5 studies [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22137067/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22957482/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">L-arginine increases the production of nitric oxide and stops its breakdown. By expanding and relaxing the blood vessels, this molecule increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12481979/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15352382/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">L-arginine may lower blood pressure by increasing bcl-2 levels and protecting against programmed cell death.</span></p>
608 | content_snp_table_4773408634706286_key == 4773408634706286
608 | content_snp_table_4773408634706286_blur == True
608 | content_snp_table_4773408634706286_hidden == False
608 | content_learn_more_9589418740666442_key == 9589418740666442
608 | content_learn_more_9589418740666442_blur == True
608 | content_learn_more_9589418740666442_hidden == False
608 | content_learn_more_9589418740666442_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your BCL2 gene is associated with somewhat lower odds of high blood pressure, relative to other variants. However, other genes and health factors may still contribute to your risk.
608 | content_recommendation_9638476691368105_key == 9638476691368105
608 | content_recommendation_9638476691368105_blur == True
608 | content_recommendation_9638476691368105_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs12454712
rsStatus = rs12454712,BCL2,chr18,63178651,T,A,C,,31,0,Normal
