How to Prevent Hypertension

Hypertension, commonly called high blood pressure, is when the force of blood pumping through the arteries is too strong. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body.

Over time, hypertension can damage the arteries and decrease blood flow to important parts of the body, including the brain, heart, and kidneys.

Often, hypertension does not cause symptoms until blood pressure is very high. For this reason, it is important to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis.

Hypertension can often be prevented with diet and lifestyle changes. If you already have hypertension, you can control it with diet and lifestyle changes, as well as medicine.

What nutrition changes can be made?

Maintain a healthy diet. This includes:

• Eating less salt (sodium). Ask your health care provider how much sodium is safe for you to have. The general recommendation is to consume less than 1 tsp (2,300 mg) of sodium a day.
  • Do not add salt to your food.
  • Choose low-sodium options when grocery shopping and eating out.
• Limiting fats in your diet. You can do this by eating low-fat or fat-free dairy products and by eating less red meat.
• Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Make a goal to eat:
  • 1½–2 cups of fresh fruits and vegetables each day.
  • 3–4 servings of whole grains each day.
• Avoiding foods and beverages that have added sugars.
• Eating fish that contain healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids), such as mackerel or salmon.

If you need help putting together a healthy eating plan, try the DASH diet. This diet is high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is low in sodium, red meat, and added sugars. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

What lifestyle changes can be made?

• Lose weight if you are overweight. Losing just 3‒5% of your body weight can help prevent or control hypertension.
  • For example, if your present weight is 200 lb (91 kg), a loss of 3–5% of your weight means losing 6–10 lb (2.7–4.5 kg).
  • Ask your health care provider to help you with a diet and exercise plan to safely lose weight.
• Get enough exercise. Do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.
  • You could do this in short exercise sessions several times a day, or you could do longer exercise sessions a few times a week. For example, you could take a brisk 10-minute walk or bike ride, 3 times a day, for 5 days a week.
• Find ways to reduce stress, such as exercising, meditating, listening to music, or taking a yoga class. If you need help reducing stress, ask your health care provider.
• Do not smoke. This includes e-cigarettes. Chemicals in tobacco and nicotine products raise your blood pressure each time you smoke. If you need help quitting, ask your health care provider.
• Avoid alcohol. If you drink alcohol, limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 drink a day for nonpregnant women and 2 drinks a day for men. One drink equals 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1½ oz of hard liquor.

Why are these changes important?

Diet and lifestyle changes can help you prevent hypertension, and they may make you feel better overall and improve your quality of life. If you have hypertension, making these changes will help you control it and help prevent major complications, such as:

• Hardening and narrowing of arteries that supply blood to:
  • Your heart. This can cause a heart attack.
  • Your brain. This can cause a stroke.
  • Your kidneys. This can cause kidney failure.
• Stress on your heart muscle, which can cause heart failure.

What can I do to lower my risk?

• Work with your health care provider to make a hypertension prevention plan that works for you. Follow your plan and keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider.
• Learn how to check your blood pressure at home. Make sure that you know your personal target blood pressure, as told by your health care provider.

How is this treated?

In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, your health care provider may recommend medicines to help lower your blood pressure. You may need to try a few different medicines to find what works best for you. You also may need to take more than one medicine. Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.

Where to find support

Your health care provider can help you prevent hypertension and help you keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. Your local hospital or your community may also provide support services and prevention programs.

The American Heart Association offers an online support network at: http://supportnetwork.heart.org/high-blood-pressure  

Where to find more information

Learn more about hypertension from:

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure  
• American Academy of Family Physicians: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure.printerview.all.html  

Learn more about the DASH diet from:

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash  

Contact a health care provider if:

• You think you are having a reaction to medicines you have taken.
• You have recurrent headaches or feel dizzy.
• You have swelling in your ankles.
• You have trouble with your vision.

Summary

• Hypertension often does not cause any symptoms until blood pressure is very high. It is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly.
• Diet and lifestyle changes are the most important steps in preventing hypertension.
• By keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range, you can prevent complications like heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure.
• Work with your health care provider to make a hypertension prevention plan that works for you.