In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat the Study FoundHow You Can Prevent High Blood PressureThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What the Study Found
How You Can Prevent High Blood Pressure
The Bottom Line
High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease and stroke, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypertension is known as “the silent killer,” and many people don’t know they have it because there often are no symptoms. This is especially problematic sinceheart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.
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Researchers took approximately 34,000 adults with high blood pressure and randomly assigned them into one of two groups. One group received the usual care for high blood pressure—which included doctor visits and, if necessary, medication.
The other group received a doctor-led intensive blood pressure intervention strategy. The doctors in this group received special training on choosing the proper blood pressure medication and adjusting it as needed, with the goal being to bring participants’ blood pressure down to below 130/80 mm Hg. But this group went even further and received health coaching on lifestyle modifications—which typically includes coaching in nutrition, exercise, stress management and smoking cessation. They also received blood pressure monitors to keep track of their blood pressure at home.
The results were quite astonishing.
“This is the first, large, randomized trial to demonstrate that lowering blood pressure is effective in reducing the risk of dementia in people with high blood pressure,” said Jiang He, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, the study’s lead author. “These findings emphasize the importance of widespread adoption of more intensive blood-pressure control to reduce the global burden of dementia.”
You may have heard that stress can increase blood pressure—and it’s true.Numerous studieshave strengthened the stress-hypertension link. Deep breathing, mindfulness meditation and practicing gratitude are strategies that can help reduce stress and ultimately blood pressure. It’s also important to get to the root of your stressors and make changes around them to lessen your chronic stress.
Of course,what you eat can influence your blood pressure, too. Keeping yoursodium intakein check can help, as caneating more fruits and vegetables, especially oneshigh in potassium, which has been shown to help lower blood pressure. If you’re looking for a tool to help you get started and stick to your healthy changes, recent research suggests thatpracticing mindfulnesshas been shown to help people follow and adhere to theDASH diet—a diet designed specifically to help lower blood pressure.
Other lifestyle changes that have been shown to improve blood pressure includeexercising,getting plenty of sleepand reducing your alcohol intake.
High blood pressure can potentially lead to several other conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline and dementia. Part of the reason for this is that hypertension stiffens the blood vessels, which decreases their ability to get blood where it needs to go—like the brain and heart, per theCDC. But high blood pressure can be prevented and, if necessary, treated. Lifestyle behaviors, including exercise, what you eat, stress and sleep can all influence your blood pressure and ultimately help prevent serious complications.
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