American Heart Association on Blood Pressure

Combining an overall healthy diet with weight loss, a lower salt and higher potassium intake can prevent and treat hypertension, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The statement also encourages people to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and if they drink alcohol, limit intake to moderate levels.

Hypertension, defined as having a systolic and diastolic BP greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, affects about 600 million people worldwide and is associated with over seven million deaths. Estimates indicate 27 per cent of the US adult population is hypertensive.

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on weight -- or more precisely, being overweight -- in recent years. And yet, I personally know of several people who were placed on BP medications that lived very healthy lifestyles, including diet, regular exercise, little or no alcohol consumption and ideal weight for their age. They've since managed to reduce and/or eliminate their need for meds through some very simple -- yet consistent -- dietary changes.

(Check out the ideal weight calculator and/or BMI Chart through this link for approximate ideal weight estimates for men and women.)

But an interesting point in the AHA statement may explain why such apparently healthy people may end up having BP problems...

Quote: "The key message is simple, as a person ages, blood pressure rises. While an individual's blood pressure may be normal now, 90 percent of Americans over 50 years of age have a lifetime risk of high blood pressure. Americans should take action before being diagnosed with hypertension."

For excellent information, useful tools and additional information, be sure to visit the AHA blood pressure website.