High blood pressure? Why to control it and/or avoid getting it.

High blood pressure (HBP)? You can avoid it or control it starting now! Based in newest information, find the actions, recommendations and tips to follow. Hypertension or HBP is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the evidence links untreated hypertension with cardiovascular morbidity, and I don't want you to be in the statistics!

Let's act even if you haven't been diagnosed! 1 billion people in the world (73 million in the US) have high pressure. You can prevent from loosing control of it with simple actions that may change your outcome. The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of HBP recommends screening beginning at 18 years of age.

Actions, Recommendations and Tips to control high blood pressure or avoid having it

The American Heart Association makes the following recommendations for a healthy blood pressure:

1) Consume a heart healthy diet.

Meaning:

+ Low in animal products.

+ Rich in fruits and vegetables.

+ Rich in whole grains.

+ Low in fat or not fat dairy products.

+ Include fish, legumes, poultry, and lean meats.

+ Calorie controlled.

+ With low or moderate sodium intake.

2) Engage in regular physical activity at least 30 minutes every day.

This two measures are the primary prevention, which may also decrease the potential for developing other risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, obesity and diabetes.

Other recommendations are:

3) Weight control.

+ Body mass index (BMI).

+ Waist circumference.(Keep the line, not the curve!)

Studies have demonstrated the independent contribution of abdominal obesity to cardiovascular risk.

Keys to weight control

Despite this recommendations, there are other findings that must encourage you to develop the healthiest possible lifestyle before you may start needing special medications for treatment of high blood pressure:

In the article: Blood Pressure Lowering Only or More? Has the Jury Reached Its Verdict? from Stevo Julius published in 2007, he mentions -there's a great need for antihypertensive agents that go beyond blood pressure lowering to treat the underlying pathophysiologic conditions that contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Stevo Julius comments, that -blood pressure and cardiovascular risk increase exponentially from early in a patient's life. Sometimes a patient can go from being in stage 1 with a high blood pressure rate of 140/90 mmHg to a very complicated stage 2 (more than 160/100 mmHg). And this is important because patients with stage 1 hypertension typically require 30-40 years of treatment.

So... Are you ready for such years under special medication?

High Blood Pressure usually clusters with other cardiovascular risk factors which increase morbidity and death such as:

+ Insulin resistance.

+ Visceral obesity.

+ Dyslipidemia.

Then, is logical to see the need for controlling along the years:

1) Insulin levels.

2) Glucose levels.

3) Weight gain.

4) Lipids levels.

Or... Would you like to be medicated as well for metabolic syndrome or diabetes, lowering your cholesterol and triglycerides levels and what else?

Then, besides a good diet and physical activity, here's are the extrarecommendations and tips for controlling your high blood blood pressure and other important risk factors:

1) Monitor your blood pressure at least 3 times a week if you're at possible risk (genetic factors, inadequate diet, sedentary life, etc). Believe me, is a good practice, or check it once a week at least as long as you grow.

2) Cut out the salt. There are studies that demonstrate that high amounts of salt consumption may have dramatic effects on blood pressure. Just by lowering your consumption to 50 mmol/day, you may decrease your high pressure.

3) Sleep well. Sleep disorder breathing (sleep apnea) and short time for sleep have been studied to raise blood pressure.

4) Reduce alcohol consumption and quit smoking.

There you go, now you only need to take action! There are enough reasons to sustain that a healthy lifestyle may help you live a long and good quality life.

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