Hypertension Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Know About Hypertension

By Tracy Kerr-Walshe

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reports that if you don’t have hypertension, which is also known as high blood pressure, by the time you’re 55, then you have a 90% chance of developing it after.

The American Heart Association adds that in 90-95% of all cases, there is no definitive cause. In the other portion of cases, high blood pressure and high cholesterol comes as a result of another condition like gout, kidney abnormalities, congenital heart defects or tumors.

If you’re one of the many Americans with high blood pressure, then there’s no need to panic. Your doctor has some simple tricks to lowering the strain on your heart and arteries!

LIfestyle Choices Increase The Risk Of Hypertension

If you are hypertensive, then it can be caused by many lifestyle choices. For instance, a 2005 study found that women who took 500 mg of Tylenol each day for headaches or pains were more likely to develop high blood pressure than women who did not.

Users of cocaine and amphetamines, as well as smokers, were also more at risk. High body fat, high salt intake, low potassium intake, high cholesterol levels, inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption and high stress are often linked to hypertension as well.

Health experts say that this condition isn’t so cut-and-dry, that poor lifestyle choices aren’t always the culprit. Some people are just at risk because they’re aging, pregnant or born into a family with a history of high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure

The next time you visit the doctor, listen for the reading when the inflatable arm cuff is squeezing your arm. The ideal number indicating normal blood pressure is 115/75. The doctor may say you have hypertension if your numbers are 120-139, which indicates systolic pressure, or over 80-89 for diastolic pressure.

Stage one hypertension is a reading of 140-159/90-99 and stage two is a reading of 160+/100+. Don’t feel alarmed by one high reading. You may have eaten a high cholesterol breakfast of bacon and eggs before coming in for tests and your heart is just working a little harder than usual. However, you should perform heart health tests either at home or return for another check up very soon to be sure.

Cutting Out Fat And Bad Cholesterol

If you’re found to have hypertension, then you will generally first be prescribed a new lifestyle that cuts out fat and bad cholesterol, as well as adds healthier food choices and exercise. You will be instructed to stop binge drinking or smoking, if applicable, and chances are you may need medication to jump start your progress.

Many doctors first try a diuretic or "water pill" that promises to cleanse the kidneys, eliminating sodium, water and toxins from the body. Beta-Blockers sometimes work alongside diuretics to slow down the heart a little, instructing it not to work so hard.

Angiotension II receptor blockers and ACE-inhibitors are good for people with coronary artery disease, kidney disease or who’ve already suffered congestive heart failure because of relaxed blood vessels that may already be susceptible to narrowing.

Statins are commonly prescribed for lowering cholesterol as well. By adjusting your lifestyle and trying some of the revolutionary products on the market, you will be well on your way to cardiovascular health in no time.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

This article was about Hypertension.

About the Author:
Tracy Kerr-Walshe is an author of dieting articles including Effective Weight Loss, Full Body Detox, Juice Fasting.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.