By: Kris Sollid, RD Date: 1/5/11
Health is on the mind of many Americans as we enter the New Year. Every January we pour our hearts into becoming visibly “new and improved,” but how many of our resolutions focus on improving something that may go completely unnoticed by everyone but our hearts? This year, if your household has resolved to manage hypertension, you may be surprised to hear how many different ways it can be done.
What is Hypertension? Hypertension is the clinical diagnosis for consistently high blood pressure (≥140/90 mm Hg) and affects 1 out of every 3 US adults. However, only 2 out of 3 people with hypertension are currently receiving treatment and of those, only 56% have their blood pressure well controlled. While there are multiple causes of hypertension and they often differ among individuals, the cardiac, renal, cerebrovascular, and ocular effects can be severe if left untreated.
The “Silent” Killer—did you know that studies have suggested that as many as 90% of us could develop hypertension in our lifetime? By comparison, an estimated 40% will be diagnosed with cancer and an estimated 1.29% will be diagnosed with AIDS. Awareness campaigns for devastating diseases such as cancer and AIDS have made tremendous impacts in both treatment and prevention, but for a chronic medical condition that is also a major risk factor for the leading cause of death in the US (heart disease), hypertension keeps a surprisingly silent profile. Perhaps it’s due mostly to the unseen and slow-developing nature, but hypertension’s invisible (yet existing) symptoms don’t make it any less dangerous.
The “Silent” Treatment—the major line of defense in the treatment against hypertension is medication. According to theSeventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7), most patients with hypertension will require two or more anti-hypertensive medications to achieve their blood pressure goals.
The second line of defense has traditionally been reducing salt intake. For years, consumer messaging to prevent or control blood pressure has targeted the salt shaker—and more recently the sodium in the food supply. While the advice to reduce sodium intake is well intended, solely decreasing the amount of sodium in your diet is not the only effective way to manage hypertension.
Although reducing sodium intake may be the easiest action for some to implement, there are other potentially more successful methods to consider adopting. Authoritative bodies recommend multiple lifestyle modifications for lowering blood pressure.
According to the JNC 7 report, the largest potential impact on systolic blood pressure can be observed through:
1. Weight reduction (5-20 mm Hg/10 kg weight loss)
2. Adopting the DASH eating plan (8-14 mm Hg)
3. Physical activity (4-9 mm Hg)
4. Dietary sodium reduction (2-8 mm Hg)
5. Moderation of alcohol consumption (2-4 mm Hg).
The Bottom line
Sodium reduction across the food supply is in full swing, but it’s an evolving and gradual process that will not occur overnight. In the meantime, consumers must not postpone their blood pressure reducing efforts. While a reduced sodium food supply may eventually help lower blood pressure numbers population-wide, it does not instantly guarantee the individual lower blood pressure. However, by continuing doctor directed medication as needed and implementing a variety of proven lifestyle strategies, we can each take hypertension management into our own hands today.