High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the leading causes of stroke, heart attack and kidney disease, making blood pressure a crucial number to regulate. In fact, more than 73 million Americans have hypertension. For many years, it was thought that the main way to keep blood pressure under control was to limit salt intake, quit smoking and learn how to reduce stress. Today, we know that there are a number of factors that can lead to high blood pressure, and there is a lot more we can be doing to ensure that we do not end up having high blood pressure or related health conditions. Some of these things include making sure that we monitor our weight, regulating what we eat, and checking our blood pressure daily, which can be done with a home unit, or at any number of pharmacies that have free blood pressure testers.
There is no need to panic if you have a couple of readings that are higher than usual. This is actually quite normal, as our blood pressure will fluctuate in certain situations. For example, some people have been known to have their blood pressure increase when they are about to receive a needle out of fear. Other things that can affect your blood pressure readings include illnesses or anxiety about the visit to the doctor, which is known as “white coat hypertension”. If your blood pressure readings are repeatedly high, however, it may be time to speak with your physician about blood pressure medication, as well as lifestyle and dietary changes that will help.
Adults over the age of 18 should have a blood pressure reading of 120 over 80 or lower. If your reading is higher, for example in the 120-139 over 80-89, you may be in the pre-hypertension stage. High blood pressure (stage one) is a reading of 140-159 over 90-99, and high blood pressure (stage two) is 160 and higher over 100 and higher.
The Risk of Continued High Blood Pressure
When you have high blood pressure, you are at risk for many other serious health conditions including heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. In fact, hypertension is the number one risk factor for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), not to mention many other diseases and conditions. If you fit into categories for other risk factors, your chance of developing any of these conditions increases greatly. Some of these risk factors include family history, smoking, gender, diet, exercise habits and others. If you fall into any of these categories, you should seriously consider making some lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, quitting smoking, and exercising more. In fact, upon making these lifestyle changes, it may not be necessary to go on blood pressure medication, especially in the pre-hypertension stages.
The two types of hypertension are primary (also called essential) and secondary. The first is a condition that exists by itself, while the second is one that is caused by another health condition. There are millions of people with hypertension, and in the United States alone nearly 30% of all women between the ages of 18 and 74 have high blood pressure to some degree. As women get older, the numbers increase. Hypertension is seen more in African American women, with 80% of this group over the age of 65 having the condition.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease is a very serious condition of the kidneys, and one of the causes is hypertension. This is also a condition that can cause hypertension. Often, because both conditions can affect one another, many physicians are unable to correctly say which disease the patient had first. This is a condition that can be life-threatening, because we need our kidneys to filter the waste products in our blood and to maintain the right blood volume. Once a person has a condition involving the kidneys and they become damaged, there is an increased chance of kidney disease and even renal failure.
Heart Disease
Another condition that is often caused by high blood pressure is heart disease, which kills more than 16 million adults all over the world each year. Heart disease is responsible for 30% of all deaths worldwide. Approximately 40% of all deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to heart disease. Strokes are also often brought about by high blood pressure, and about 600,000 people in the U.S. suffer from a stroke each year. These numbers increase as people age, and the chance of having a stroke doubles with each decade after the age of 45.
The Importance of Weight Management
It is important to maintain a healthy weight in order to avoid high blood pressure. More than 34 million Americans are overweight or obese and this can not only lead to high blood pressure, but all kinds of other health conditions. With the exception of those who are overweight due to medical conditions, most people are overweight due to their diet and lifestyle. For example, a person who has a poor diet and does not get much exercise is at a much higher risk for hypertension than someone who eats a healthy diet and gets enough exercise.
Benefits of Proteins on High Blood Pressure
When it comes to high blood pressure, it is essential to have a healthy, well-balanced diet. According to the American Heart Association, a typical diet for an adult should consist of 35% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 15% fat. All of these are macronutrients, which we all need for survival. Research has shown that getting the right amount of protein in our diets may help to considerably lower the risk of hypertension and the chances of having a heart attack. You can get plenty of protein from delicious, healthy dietary sources, or you may even want to use protein supplements. In fact, soy protein has been known to lower blood cholesterol levels, and may even help to lower blood pressure. Other popular proteins used in supplements include whey, casein, rice and egg.
Types of Protein Supplements
There are many different types of protein supplements available that you can use, and two of the more popular types are protein powders and liquid protein shots. Both provide the protein we need, but are low in fat and calories. You can do a lot with protein powders, from adding them to recipes to using them to create delicious, low-fat, low-calorie protein shakes and smoothies. Liquid protein shots are great because they are small and portable and can be taken with you on the go. One popular protein shot is Profect by Protica, which provides 25 grams of protein, but only has 100 calories in a three-ounce serving. Profect comes in many delicious flavors, including Blue Raspberry, Grapefruit-Mango and Cool Melon Splash.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein bullets for bariatric surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright