Hypertension and Obesity

Over a dozen large population based medical researches have consistently shown that people who are obese have more than 30 percent chance of becoming hypertensive. That means that hypertension and obesity are not just a coincidental occurrence.

A direct causal relationship has been demonstrated between developing high blood pressure if you are overweight or obese.

Conversely, it has also been shown that the single most important treatment of hypertension in the obese is weight reduction. As little as a ten percent weight loss will help bring down your blood pressure and improve your health. Cure your obesity, and control your high blood pressure. It is do-able!

Prolonged hypertension and obesity greatly increase your chances of developing heart disease and having heart attacks or strokes. It also increases the risk of developing kidney diseases, and early dementia. You can see that to be obese is to court so many unnecessary health problems, and waging a firm war against obesity will greatly improve one's health.

So it is critically important to take what steps you can to find some treatments and cures that work for you.

But what is hypertension? How can I monitor my blood pressure and what can I do specifically to overcome obesity and hypertension?

What Is Hypertesion?

In proper medical parlance, hypertension is said to occur if your blood is greater than 140/90mmHg.

The definition of hypertension is thus a quantitative reference. For anyone to be diagnosed with hypertension, their blood pressure reading has to be taken at least twice over three different occasions. A persistently high blood pressure above 140/90mmHg in anyone up to the age of 65 will meet the criteria for the diagnosis of hypertension.

Most people would not require treatment for high blood pressure until they have a persistently raised blood pressure of 160/90 or more. In the obese however, a lower threshold is required to treat hypertension: 140/90mmHg. Hypertension and obesity are truly an unholy mix. Do something about it today.

You can monitor your blood pressure at home by getting a blood pressure measuring device to check your blood pressure weekly.

Be sure to get a device with a cuff width that covers up to 75% of your arm length and the length of the cuff should be three times the width, or be able to go round your arm almost twice. Getting the wrong cuff size will give you a false blood pressure reading.

All doctors will tell you that exercising and keeping an active life style is a great way to effectively reduce any hypertension you are having. Even mild exercise done frequently, such as a short walk everyday, has been proven to be an effective cure for hypertension and obesity... using one stone to kill two birds.

Weight Plays a Large Role

Another thing doctors will tell you is to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity forces your heart to work much harder than it should in order to get blood to reach all the places it needs to go, which raises your blood pressure considerably. Just keeping a healthy weight can be a cure for high blood pressure for many people. This is, of course, easier said than done if you are overweight. Ideally, by boosting your activity levels as discussed above, you'll also be losing weight. So once again, exercise, and then, more exercise!

What always goes hand in hand with exercise? Diet! A healthy diet can also be a cure for high blood pressure for many. This of course means low fat and low cholesterol foods, but it especially means avoiding too much sodium.

Things to Avoid

No cure for hypertension and obesity is going to work if you eat a lot of sodium, so try not to put too much salt on your food and keep an eye on the sodium quantities in the foods you buy. Canned goods and precooked frozen items are often extremely high in sodium.

Also, avoid too much alcohol, caffeine, and stimulants, and don't smoke, ever. Smoking wreaks havoc on your blood pressure, and any kind of stimulant will boost it considerably as well. While drinking alcohol generally lowers blood pressure, when the effects where off your blood pressure often spikes the other way, causing an overall boost to blood pressure. Avoiding these substances certainly is not a cure for blood pressure, but using them will sabotage any other efforts you are making.

Above everything, the best way to look into finding a cure for high blood pressure is to see your doctor. Because hypertension can have a number of causes, he or she may be able to help you narrow down your focus. For people who have tried everything discussed here and still have high blood pressure, a medication only your doctor can provide may be needed.