Imagine if you saw a product advertised on late-night television that would help you lower your high blood pressure … without requiring medications or other expensive treatments. But wait! There's more! It would also help lower your risk of not one, but many serious diseases. How much would you be willing to pay for this health miracle?
How does free sound?
Losing excess pounds - which provides a bounty of health benefits - can also help lower your blood pressure. Even shedding just 10 pounds can make a difference, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Weighing too much puts you at more risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure, in turn, puts you at risk of getting heart disease. Your heart's job is to pump blood out to all the parts of your body. This blood goes out through blood vessels called arteries. When you're overweight, you have more blood circulating through your system. And your heart has to work harder to pump out that blood.
Your heart already has a tough job, pumping away night and day. Why make it harder?
An easy way to see if your weight may be affecting your blood pressure is to figure out your body mass index, or BMI. This requires knowing your height and weight, then doing a lot of math. An easier way is to go online to a BMI calculator - such as http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ - and enter this information. If your BMI is higher than 25, you may improve your blood pressure by losing weight. If it's higher than 30, weight loss is even more important.
Compared to men who aren't overweight, a man whose BMI is 25 to 29.9 has more than twice the risk of getting high blood pressure in the next 10 years.
Someone whose BMI is 30 to 34.9 (which is considered obese) has more than three times the risk.
If you're overweight and have high blood pressure, losing weight can help protect you from heart disease. If you're already taking medications for high blood pressure, getting to a healthier weight may allow you to take less medication, or maybe even stop taking it. That's like putting money into your pocket! However, never change your medications or stop taking them without your doctor's approval.
Though losing weight offers fabulous benefits for your blood pressure, you'll have to put some effort into it. In short, weight loss requires taking in fewer calories through eating than you burn off in your daily activities and exercise. The NIH recommends that you aim to lose no more than two pounds each week. It's best to do this by both cutting back on the food you eat and getting more exercise, since being physically inactive is another factor that raises your risk of high blood pressure.
SCHEDULE A SCREENING