The Fatal Three - Salt, Body Mass Index, And High Blood Pressure

Our Mothers used to tell us, “Enough is enough, but too much is just too much!” The same adage is also true for blood pressure. Your blood pressure changes from minute to minute depending on what you are doing. A healthy blood pressure is in the range of 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure staying within the 120/80 to 130/89mmHg range is considered pre-hypertension (a condition in which the arterial blood pressure is sometimes within the normal range and sometimes within the high range) and blood pressure above that is considered hypertension (persistently high arterial blood pressure). Blood pressure is stated in a systolic number (which is first) representing the pressure when the heart is beating and a diastolic number (which is second) representing the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

When your arteries are wide open, blood can flow easily through them. High blood pressure occurs if the arteries are narrow making it harder for the blood to flow through them. High blood pressure can strain your heart muscle and cause damage to your blood vessels and internal organs. It is for this reason that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure. High blood pressure is a lifelong disease. It can usually be controlled but not cured. There are statistics that show that one in three American adults have high blood pressure and about 30% are not aware of it.

If it is determined that you have high blood pressure, there are things that you can do to help control it. These may include reducing the fat (particularly saturated fat) in your diet, eating less salt, changing your lifestyle by losing weight, and getting regular physical activity. Quitting smoking is also important to reduce your overall risk for heart attack and stroke. You may need to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. Your doctor may also decide you need medication.

Since there are some risk factors that you can control yourself, including losing weight, it only makes sense to take these very seriously. Let’s take a moment to go through these one by one.

Obesity – Individuals with a BMI (body mass index, a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height.) of 30 or higher have a greater risk of developing high pressure. Your body is made up of water, fat, protein, carbohydrate and various vitamins and minerals. If you have too much fat — especially if a lot of it is at your waist — you are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. By losing just 5 pounds, you can lower your BMI by about a point. To calculate your exact BMI value, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, divide by your height in inches, and then divide again by your height in inches.

Too Much Salt Intake – We eat about 6 – 18 grams of salt daily (1 to 3 teaspoons daily). Our bodies need salt, but only about 0.5 grams a day. A high salt intake can increase your blood pressure. There are lots of sources of salt in our diet besides the kitchen saltshaker. We consume up to 75 percent of our sodium (or as it is commonly called, salt – look for the words soda and sodium and the symbol Na on labels) from hidden sources. Hidden sources of salt (sodium) included: monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder, disodium phosphate (found in cereals and processed cheeses), sodium alginate (found in chocolate milk and ice creams), sodium benzoate (found in relishes, sauces, and salad dressings), sodium hydroxide (used in ripe olives and some fruits and vegetables), sodium nitrite (used in cured meats and sausages), sodium propionate (used in pasteurized cheese, breads and cakes), and sodium sulfite (used in fruits, grazed fruits or dried fruits). There can also be hidden amounts of sodium/salt in over-the-counter drugs. Look at the list of ingredients on the bottle to determine the amount of salt in them.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol – Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase your blood pressure.

Lack Of Exercise – Practicing an inactive lifestyle can make it easier to become overweight. The extra pounds increase your chances of high blood pressure. Walking up or down stairs help burn calories. Even if you take a 30-minute leisurely walk, you can burn up to 145 calories! With spring coming up, I plan to get outside and go to the park or just walk the dog.

You can see there are lots of healthy changes we can make ourselves to lower our blood pressure that don’t require much effort. Take time and read the labels, give up a drink or so a night, and just stretch and exercise your body.

Take care of yourself and love yourself.

Frances Lewis