Preventing High Blood Pressure

Worried you may be at risk for high blood pressure? Start protecting yourself today. Here are some tips that can help you lower your blood pressure and stay healthy. As your body weight increases, so does your blood pressure. In fact, being overweight can make you two to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure than if you are at your desirable weight. Therefore, it's important to maintain a healthy weight, and lose weight if you are overweight. Another important ingredient is increasing physical activity, which burns calories. Cutting down on fat and calories combined with regular physical activity can help you lose more weight and keep it off longer than either way by itself. Cutting back on salt and sodium can also keep blood pressure in check. Americans eat more salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium than they need. They also have higher rates of high blood pressure than people in other countries who eat less salt. All Americans, especially people with high blood pressure, should eat no more than about 2,400 milligrams of sodium - the amount contained in about 6 grams of salt. Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure or even help lead to the development of high blood pressure. To to help prevent high blood pressure, if you drink alcohol, limit how much you drink to no more than 2 drinks a day. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" recommend that for overall health, women should limit their alcohol to no more than 1 drink a day. Check out the following links for more information on preventing and lowering blood pressure. How to Prevent High Blood Pressure NHLBI, Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure Preventing High Blood Pressure