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Take steps to control your high blood pressure and bring it down to normal levels. Exercise and losing weight (if you are overweight) can help you do that, and might even keep you from having to take blood pressure drugs.

Many studies have shown that regular exercise and weight loss is often an option for people who are overweight and have high blood pressure. Lowering stress might help too. Stress can make blood pressure go up for a while, and it has been thought to contribute to high blood pressure.

A smorgasbord of benefits

Exercise and weight-management programs also have other health benefits, such as a lower heart rate, more efficient pumping by the heart, greater dilation of blood vessels and a higher overall level of fitness.

Exercise and losing weight can often move people from higher categories of high blood pressure into a lower category. But check with your doctor before you start a diet or exercise program.

Normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure (top number) lower than 120 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure (bottom number) below 80 mm Hg. A blood pressure reading of 120 to 139 systolic over 80 to 89 diastolic is considered prehypertensive. This means that you are at risk for developing high blood pressure.

Someone with systolic pressure between 140 to 159 and diastolic pressure from 90 to 99 mm Hg is said to have stage 1 hypertension. The most dangerous is stage 2, with a systolic higher than 160 and a diastolic greater than 100.

Studies show that a diet that emphasizes fruits, whole grains, vegetables and lowfat dairy foods and is low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol can lower high blood pressure.

Also, limiting the amount of sodium (salt) in the diet also lowers blood pressure in many people. The biggest blood pressure-lowering benefits are for those who limited sodium to less than 1,500 milligrams per day.

Know your risk factors

Although the exact cause of hypertension remains unknown, a number of factors are known to increase the chance of developing high blood pressure. They are:

• Heredity. If your parents have or had high blood pressure, there is a greater chance you will, too.
• Race. Blacks are more likely to develop high blood pressure than whites.
• Gender. Men run a greater overall risk for developing high blood pressure than women.
• Age. The older we get, the greater the risk for developing high blood pressure.
• Weight. Overweight people are more likely to develop high blood pressure.

Other factors contributing to high blood pressure include heavy alcohol consumption, smoking, use of oral contraceptives and a sedentary or inactive lifestyle.

Sources: American Heart Association. What is high blood pressure? Accessed May 23, 2008. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Your guide to lowering blood pressure. Accessed May 23, 2008.

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