Diet and lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure, provide long-term health benefits and delay or reduce the need for prescription drugs. About 50 million Americans suffering from hypertension, or high blood pressure, require "some form of treatment," according to an August 2004 report from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI. Sodium restriction and increased physical activity especially benefit individuals suffering from this chronic disease. Always speak with your physician before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
Defining High Blood Pressure
The NHLBI lists three stages of hypertension in order of severity: pre-hypertension, stage 1 hypertension and stage 2 hypertension. Your blood pressure is normal if your systolic pressure, or the top number in a reading, is less than 120 and your diastolic pressure, or bottom number, is less than 80. If your blood pressure is consistently higher than normal, you may be at risk for stroke, cardiac disease or other health problems. Nosebleeds, headache and shortness of breath are some symptoms of high blood pressure, but since hypertension often manifests no symptoms at all, it is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly.
Restrict Sodium Intake
In the United States, Americans consume about 3,436 mg of salt each day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have high blood pressure, are over age 51, have diabetes or heart disease, or are African-American, that figure should be no more than 1,500 mg per day. Limit sodium intake by avoiding processed foods and using flavorful spices for cooking instead of table salt.
Limit Fat and Cholesterol
Eating too much saturated fat or cholesterol-rich foods can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure. Over time, cholesterol builds up along the walls of your arteries, restricting blood flow and forcing your heart to work harder to pump blood. If you have high blood pressure, restrict your consumption of red or processed meats, butter, coconut oil, heavy cream, cakes and pastries.
DASH and ADAPT Diets
Eating a healthy diet can reduce your chance of developing high blood pressure or limit your reliance on blood pressure medication, according to the NHLBI. Researchers at the NHLBI developed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, and the Altering Diet in African American Populations to Treat Hypertension, or ADAPT diet. Both diets encourage consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables while limiting intake of fat, red meat, sugar and salt.
Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices
Certain lifestyle choices can increase your risk of developing hypertension. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, smoking cigarettes, heavy drinking and being overweight or obese can all increase your blood pressure rate and increase your risk of developing hypertension. Blood pressure also tends to rise with age, so it is especially important for adults over 45 to be cognizant of unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Hypertension Research
Results of a randomized clinical trial conducted at Duke University Medical Center and published in the January 2010 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine" indicate that the DASH diet alone and in conjunction with lifestyle changes effectively lowered blood pressure. Overweight or obese patients were able to reduce their systolic pressure by 11.2 points and their diastolic pressure by 7.5 points by following the DASH diet. Incorporating an exercise regiment decreased the systolic pressure by 16.1 points and the diastolic pressure by 9.9 points.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of Blood Pressure
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What is High Blood Pressure?
- CDC: Americans Consume Too Much Sodium
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: How is High Blood Pressure Treated?
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Effects of the DASH Diet Alone and in Combination With Exercise and Weight Loss; James A. Blumenthal, Ph.D., et al.; January 2010
