Fortunately, more and more people are aware of the serious impact their lifestyle has on their health, but only a few know the specific connections. Márton Dvorák, KardioKözpont exercise therapist and dietician Lucia Szabó drew attention to the effects of lifestyle on high blood pressure.
The tendency is not the disease of high blood pressure itself
In Hungary, nearly a fifth of adults and more than half of those over 60 suffer from high blood pressure, and more and more of them are consciously turning to solving the problem. It’s a fact that almost 40 percent of the predisposition to the disease is determined in the genes, but we contribute significantly to the manifestation and development of the disease with our lifestyle. This is so true that the first step in the treatment of already diagnosed high blood pressure must be lifestyle changeand only as a second step, if necessary, drug treatment is recommended.
Patients must also clearly see that lifestyle therapy can change values such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, which are indicators of chronic diseases. That is by changing the elements of our lifestyle, we can affect the state of high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and diabeteswe can reverse it to some extent. The more bad habits we replace with good habits, the better our chances of improvement are – even in the case of already established diseases.
This is how blood pressure values decrease as a result of lifestyle
For all those who are still thinking about changing their lifestyle, it is worth seeing that already individual changes also affect the systolic (that is, the first) blood pressure values. So how much does it reduce the values?
Weight reduction: 5-20 Hgmm / 10 kg
Reducing salt intake: 2-8 mm Hg
Mediterranean diet (DASH diet): 8-14 mm Hg
Regular physical activity: 4-9 mm Hg
Reducing alcohol consumption: 2-10 mmHg
Additional elements of the lifestyle program – such as muscle-strengthening exercise, limited carbohydrate intake, increased fiber and vegetable sterol intake, reduced saturated fatty acid consumption – also have a beneficial effect, but rather for blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Moreover, these effects are also related to each other, since, for example, The DASH diet, also known as the healthy heart diet, helps you lose weight by itself, which lowers blood pressure values.
Permanent weight loss is unthinkable without exercisel. Therefore, if we regularly perform aerobic (i.e. cardio) exercise for this purpose, it will strengthen functions which among other things, they can result in a decrease in blood pressure. In addition, all this by optimizing physiological processes that blood pressure-lowering drugs are also meant to regulate.
The exercise program must be carefully planned
In recent decades, in the rehabilitation of heart patients, as well as in the treatment of the elements of the metabolic syndrome, programs based on long-lasting, even, moderate-medium intensity physical exertion are primarily usedthe so-called cardio training was used. At least 150 minutes of medium-intensity cardio per week, distributed over at least 3 sessions per week, has become almost a byword. Over time muscle development also became importantthrough which the often weak muscles become able to perform the tasks, moreover, the activity of sugar and fat metabolism can be increased even more.
In recent years high-intensity interval training, which is more effective than uniform loading and can be carried out in a shorter time, also played a role in rehabilitationand in reducing high blood pressure – he emphasizes Márton Dvorákexercise therapist at KardioKözpont. – However, high intensity (e.g. fast running, cycling, jumping) should be handled with care and it should only be used if you already have a basic level of fitness and there is no serious heart disease. In the construction of an effective and safe exercise program, it is worth relying on the guidelines of an exercise therapist and possibly choosing specially structured group forms of exercise. If the blood pressure is set correctly, the movement can be started with the help of a specialist.
“Diet for the Heart”
In terms of the cardiovascular system, optimal nutrition is primarily plant-based, it is based on the consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, foods containing omega-3 (sea fish, flaxseed) and polyunsaturated fatty acids, oil seeds – explains Lucia Szabo dietician. – It is very important to limit salt intake, it is recommended to reduce the daily amount of salt below 2.3 grams, which can be achieved as a first step by eliminating extra salting.
At the same time, it is recommended to reduce it consumption of too many processed foods, fatty, red meat, sugary soft drinks, and alcohol. The DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, which takes these principles into account, can work, but a diet customized by a dietitian is of course the most effective.
Source: Cardio Center
Source: www.patikamagazin.hu
