High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in four American adults. If not kept under control, high blood pressue increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Regular exercise and following the DASH Diet can help prevent high blood pressure. A blood pressure reading below 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is considered normal. If your resting blood pressure is consistently 140/90 mm Hg or higher, you have high blood pressure. A reading of 115/75 is the level above which your risk of heart attack or stroke begins to increase. High blood pressue is often called the silent killer because you can have it for years without knowing it. In fact, about one-third of the 50 million Americans with high blood pressue don't know they have it. You may be able to lower your blood pressue with lifestyle changes. Start with the DASH Diet (a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat and saturated fat...while decreasing salt and sodium intake). Then, make sure you get a least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Lifestyle changes, however, are not always enough and medication is usually needed. Omron and ReliOn are two good brands of blood pressure cuffs for monitoring your blood pressure at home. Your best bet is one that is battery powered and has an upper-arm cuff. You'll find a good overview of high blood pressure at FamilyDoctor.org and more detailed information at the Mayo Clinic website. Download MP3 file This podcast first aired on March 31, 2006.
