Photo via Pixabay (Creative Commons) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter The American Heart Association recently redefined high blood pressure to a lower limit of 130/80 and not anymore 140 as defined in the past years. According to the new guidelines, a person’s blood pressure is within normal limits if it is lower than 120 (Systolic reading/upper number) and lower than 80 (diastolic reading/lower number). The new guidelines also signifies that more people will fall under the bracket with high blood pressure or guidelines. Hypertension is called a “silent killer” because it oftentimes does have any obvious symptoms. Nearly half of American adults are said to have it but have no idea they do. What The New Guidelines Mean Based on extensive medical research by the AHA, the new limit has been set because it has been observed that complications due to hypertension can “occur at those lower numbers.” Those who register a blood pressure reading of 120/80 are already considered to have an elevated level and therefore need to make some lifestyle changes. Otherwise, this will eventually develop into Stage 1 hypertension, once it reaches 130/80 or higher, and Stage 2 hypertension which is 140/90 or higher. How To Prevent High Blood Pressure What is important is for those who are at a higher risk to develop hypertension to start taking steps to prevent it. This means having one’s blood pressure measured and monitored regularly. Some of the recommended changes include eating a well-balanced and low-sodium diet, doing regular exercise or appropriate physical activity, limiting the intake of alcohol and nicotine, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. Complications due to unmanaged hypertension are usually fatal. Among them are a higher risk of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes due to clogged blood vessels. When coupled with other risk factors such as high blood sugar, low levels of good cholesterol, it can lead to a metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance syndrome. Facebook Comments
