A. High blood pressure is a condition in which a person's blood pressure goes up too high and stays there. Blood pressure normally goes up and down, depending on the person's different activities. The problem occurs when the blood pressure stays too high all the time.
About one in four Americans has high blood pressure. And more than half of these have high blood pressure that is very serious. This disease is dangerous, because so often, it leads silently but directly to conditions that often kill or cripple: heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
High blood pressure is especially dangerous because it has no clear signs. A person can have it and not even know it. It doesn't hurt, and it usually doesn't make person feel sick or dizzy or nervous. As a result, many people with high blood pressure can live for years without knowing they have it.
That's why it's so important for people to get their blood pressure checked regularly and, if it is high, to follow the treatment their doctors prescribe. Along with drugs, weight loss for the overweight, exercise, and salt restriction are among the most important ways to treat high blood pressure.
Because there is usually no cure for most high blood pressure, there's no such thing as a quick treatment that solves the problem once and for all. For each person, it usually takes a few weeks or months for the doctor to work out the best way to control blood pressure. Some ways are weight loss for the overweight, regular exercise, medicines, sodium restriction (sodium is a part of salt and is found in many foods), or a combination of those.
Treatment may change as the years go by, but treatment of one kind or another to control high blood pressure usually lasts for a lifetime, and blood pressure must be checked regularly.
A. Yes. How much we weigh and the amount of sodium we eat may have a lot to do with high blood pressure. Lower weight means lower blood pressure for most people. For some people eating less salt and less high sodium foods means lower blood pressure.
In recent years scientists have become more and more interested in the relationship between what we eat - our diet - and high blood pressure. Studying this relationship raises questions like "Can we prevent high blood pressure by eating right?" and "Can we keep high blood pressure under control by staying on a good diet?"
As you read this pamphlet, you will find out what we know--first about the effects of weight on blood pressure and then about the effects of salt. Although much remains to be learned, experts agree that:
- Controlling weight has many health benefits.
- Most Americans eat too much salt; cutting down on salt won't hurt most people, and in fact it may improve your health.
- Health professionals can help patients make changes in food habits when they are prescribed to help control high blood pressure.
- Better food habits usually help medicine work better. Sometimes a diet change is the only treatment needed to control high blood pressure.
A. Scientists and doctors know that:
- High blood pressure is much more common in overweight people.
- As a person gains weight, blood pressure tends to rise; when a person loses weight, blood pressure often goes down.
- For some, losing weight controls high blood pressure so well that no medicine is needed, especially if blood pressure is not too high.
A. No one knows for sure, but maintaining the right weight may reduce the risk of getting high blood pressure.
Keeping to the weight recommended for your height and build will make you feel better all around, because it will keep you healthier in general. Keeping weight down is especially important for members of families that have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke.
A. No one can predict that. But just as for adults, staying at the right weight will make children healthier in general and may help to prevent high blood pressure when they get older. Eating habits, like so many other habits, are often formed during childhood, so it's important to develop good ones.
A. As a first step in treating high blood pressure, doctors often ask overweight patients to lose weight. Weight loss alone sometimes lowers blood pressure to normal levels.
A. No. High blood pressure cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Once a person has lost enough weight to bring the blood pressure down, the battle is not over. Keeping blood pressure down means controlling weight and taking any medicine, if the doctor has prescribed it, and keeping track of your blood pressure to make sure it stays controlled.
A. Sometimes they do. But for some persons, losing weight lowers blood pressure to normal, and the doctor may decide that medicine isn't needed so long as the extra weight is not gained back. If the person can't lose weight, or if losing weight is not enough to bring blood pressure down to normal, the doctor usually prescribes medicine. Frequently, the lower a person's weight, the smaller the dosage of drugs needed. Smaller doses mean fewer chances of side effects from the drugs.
A. Losing weight should be a gradual process that avoids fad diets and other gimmicks. Eat fewer calories and exercise more, because losing weight means burning up more calories than you eat. Lose weight and keep it off by finding low calorie foods and doing exercise that you like. Work out the best combination of diet and exercise for you. If you think you may be overweight, find out for sure from your doctor or a nutritionist. Ask them to help you control your weight.
A. Actually, it's sodium, a chemical in the salt, that may affect blood pressure. Scientists do not know for sure how sodium affects high blood pressure, but we do know that in many people it contributes to this disease.
A. There's a good chance it may help keep your blood pressure down. Most of us eat far too much salt to provide our bodies with the small amount of sodium they need. We also get sodium in other ways besides eating salt, for example:
- In snack foods, such as chips, crackers, salted nuts;
- In processed foods, like canned soups and vegetables, pickles, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, frozen foods, cheese, ham;
- In restaurant foods, especially fast foods, like a burger and fries;
- In some medicines, like antacids.
Reading the labels on foods and medicines for the terms "salt" and "sodium" may help you make better choices.
A. A reasonable amount of sodium in the diet of the average person is 2 grams daily, which is equal to the amount of sodium found in 1 teaspoon of salt. Most Americans eat 2 to 4 times more sodium than they need by salting their foods and by eating foods high in sodium.
A. Here are some ways to start cutting down:
- Add less salt when cooking.
- Use less salt at the table.
- Choose alternatives to heavily salted foods like chips, pretzels, salted nuts.
- Try more spices and herbs instead of salt, garlic, onion, or other seasoned salt, catsup, or soy sauce.
- Choose alternatives to processed foods with high sodium content.
These changes alone can significantly reduce sodium intake for most people. Persons with high blood pressure may have to cut down even further. They should follow the treatment program their doctor has given them.
A. Salt substitutes can be useful for certain people who want to reduce their sodium intake. But, for some people with certain medical conditions, salt substitutes can be harmful. Ask your doctor before you make a decision to try salt substitutes.
A. For some people with high blood pressure, eating less salt and other forms of sodium helps to bring high blood pressure down. For them, this diet change becomes a regular part of their treatment. It may also mean that they will need smaller drug dosages to control their blood pressure.
A. Sometimes, especially if the blood pressure isn't too much above normal, dietary changes are enough to control high blood pressure. If you're taking medication for high blood pressure, don't stop without talking to your doctor. Keep on taking your drugs for high blood pressure, even if you have lost weight and are eating less salt.
Talk to your doctor about the exact treatment you should follow-usually for the rest of your life. And keep track of your blood pressure to make sure it stays controlled.
A. No, but doctors, nurses, and dietitians often provide low calorie and low sodium diets tailored to each person's medical condition, food preferences, and way of living. These professional people can also give tips on how to shop for low calorie and low sodium foods and how to fix tasty meals with little or no salt.
Changing eating habits isn't easy and takes time. Friends and relatives of persons with high blood pressure should do all they can to help them stick with their prescribed treatment, whether that means taking medicines, losing weight, eating less sodium, or all three. This help is important because to keep blood pressure down, these changes must be permanent.
A. You can write to food manufacturers for sodium and calorie information. Ask your physician, nurse, or nutritionist for help in selecting foods and dietary programs. Visit the health section of your local bookstore or public library for low calorie and low sodium cookbooks, and for calorie and sodium counting charts.
Many organizations, schools, hospitals, and associations in your local community will gladly provide you with more information on weight reduction and on eating less sodium, including:
- The local affiliate of the American Heart Association;
- The local or state office of the American Dietetic Association;
- The local health department;
- The medical, nutrition, and some psychology departments of a nearby university;
- Some major grocery store chains.
Other organizations such as certain weight-reducing programs or clubs, the YMCA, YWCA, health clubs, and gymnasiums help many individuals in weight reducing programs by making available not only materials, but also incentives to stay with the diet. Before beginning any of their prescribed programs to reduce weight, be sure to check with your physician.
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