612 | id == 612
612 | category_id == 96
612 | category_order == 29
612 | category_name == Blood Pressure
612 | category_color == #C47AC0
612 | slug == ARHGAP42-blood-pressure
612 | title == Blood Vessel Constriction & High Blood Pressure (ARHGAP42)
612 | meta_description == ARHGAP42 helps regulate blood pressure. Variants of ARHGAP42 are linked to high blood pressure. Read more here.
612 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The <em>ARHGAP42</em> gene codes for a protein that helps regulate blood vessel constriction, thereby maintaining normal blood pressure levels. How might this ability be altered by variants of <em>ARHGAP42</em>? Read more to find out.</strong></p>
612 | overall_score_text == Your Blood Pressure Score (based on ARHGAP42 gene)
612 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/ARHGAP42-Blood-Pressure.jpg
612 | author_id == 14
612 | author_name == Shany Lahan
612 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
612 | author_order == 5
612 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
612 | 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>
612 | reviewer == None
612 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
612 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
612 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
612 | publish_date == 2021
612 | publish_date == 1
612 | publish_date == 21
612 | avg_rating == 5.0
612 | tags_id == 1160
612 | tags_name == ARHGAP42 Gene
612 | tags_id == 372
612 | tags_name == Blood vessels
612 | tags_id == 1139
612 | tags_name == High Blood Pressure
612 | tags_id == 335
612 | tags_name == Hypertension
612 | tags_id == 1162
612 | tags_name == RhoA
612 | tags_id == 1161
612 | tags_name == Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
612 | permissions_favorite == False
612 | permissions_rate == False
612 | 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;">ARHGAP42</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> codes for GRAF3, a protein that helps regulate blood pressure by blocking the blood vessel constrictor RhoA. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ARHGAP32</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in high blood pressure by lowering GRAF3 production. Lifestyle and diet modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by reducing the activity or production of RhoA.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ARHGAP42</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/arhgap42/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ARHGAP42</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for GRAF3, a protein that regulates blood pressure by blocking protein RhoA [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5272192/"><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;">RhoA normally functions to constrict blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure. In mice lacking GRAF3, RhoA activity predominated, resulting in excessive contraction of muscle cells that line blood vessels </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5272192/"><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;">Similarly, researchers found that a Danish family with high blood pressure had low levels of GRAF3 [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6777610/"><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;">As variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ARHGAP42 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with high blood pressure, the above studies suggest that these variants are likely to lower the production of GRAF3, in turn promoting RhoA-mediated blood vessel constriction [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5370207/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>ARHGAP42</em></strong><strong> Results for Blood Pressure</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*7906082933289691*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ARHGAP42 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs633185/"><strong>rs633185</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5370207/"><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;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Higher odds of high blood pressure</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with high blood pressure</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ARHGAP42 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs604723/"><strong>rs604723</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><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;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Higher odds of high blood pressure</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Not associated with high blood pressure</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*5304151115087081*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Lowering Blood Pressure</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*2468496878216339*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Maintaining a Healthy Weight</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A number of studies have shown that obesity may increase the production of RhoA, suggesting that it may worsen the effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ARHGAP42 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693156/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907862/"><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;">Being overweight or obese, especially if accompanied by excessive visceral fat, is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. Excessive body fat activates the fight-or-flight nervous system, worsens kidney function, increases damage to the blood vessels, and causes </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/insulin-101/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">insulin</span></a><a href="https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/top-tips-for-fixing-insulin-resistance/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> resistance</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, all of which increase blood pressure [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28532816/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12196085/"><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;">Multiple studies show that interventions with increased physical activity and special diets causing a ~5-kg </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/a-comprehensive-list-of-effective-ways-to-lose-weight/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">weight loss</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> lower systolic (by ~4.5 mmHg) and diastolic (by ~3.4 mmHg) blood pressure. As expected, losing more weight led to larger blood pressure reduction [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12975389/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7154764/"><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;">Maintaining a healthy weight may help lower blood pressure by preventing an increase in RhoA production.</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;">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;">Excess sodium intake may contribute to high blood pressure, in part by augmenting RhoA activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5861573/"><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 involving 3,230 people 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 an increase in RhoA activity.</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Fatty Fish/Omega-3</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a small clinical trial, 12-week supplementation with </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/top-22-science-based-health-benefits-of-fish-oil/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">omega-3 fatty acids</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> lowered levels of RhoA in the blood of healthy men [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25971815/"><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;">High blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were associated with a reduced incidence of elevated blood pressure events in a meta-analysis of 8 observational studies involving 56,204 people [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728669/"><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;">Meta-analyses show that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil (EPA + DHA) significantly reduces both systolic (by 2.5-5.5 mmHg) and diastolic (by 1.5-3.5 mmHg) blood pressure, as well as the levels of the inflammatory marker </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/c-reactive-protein/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CRP</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (by ~0.5 mg/L). The effects are more pronounced in people with moderate, untreated hypertension [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4054797/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29993265/"><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;">Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herrings, and sardines are especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Fatty fish/omega-3s may lower blood pressure by reducing RhoA levels.</span></p>
612 | content_snp_table_7906082933289691_key == 7906082933289691
612 | content_snp_table_7906082933289691_blur == True
612 | content_snp_table_7906082933289691_hidden == False
612 | content_learn_more_5304151115087081_key == 5304151115087081
612 | content_learn_more_5304151115087081_blur == True
612 | content_learn_more_5304151115087081_hidden == False
612 | content_learn_more_5304151115087081_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your ARHGAP42 gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop high blood pressure. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of high blood pressure; it’s just one gene related to it. Reducing sodium intake, consuming more fatty fish (rich in omega-3s), and maintaining a healthy weight may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
612 | content_recommendation_2468496878216339_key == 2468496878216339
612 | content_recommendation_2468496878216339_blur == True
612 | content_recommendation_2468496878216339_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs633185,rs604723
rsStatus = rs633185,ARHGAP42,chr11,100722807,G,A,C,,33,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs604723,ARHGAP42,chr11,100739815,T,C,,,17,12,HET
