Blood pressure

[steiner]

I just had a check up and blood pressure is high. Doc is prescribing some pills to get it down some. I have had issues with blood pressure in the past. Is it hereditary? My dad had it and also had to control it with meds.

[SCStrong]

High blood pressure can be hereditary - but genetic predisposition does not mean you cannot help to control it.
The top suggestions for reducing Hypertension would be:
1- Stop smoking.
2- Get regular exercise.
3- Lose weight. - ( More specifically, body fat)
4- Eat a healthy diet, - ( Eat clean - see what happens)
5- Reduce alcohol consumption. ( Everything in moderation)
6- Reduce stress. ( Just breathe)
7- Reduce sodium and processed sugar intake ( See #4)

If you are doing all of the above and communicating with your doctor on a regular basis, you should see a reduction in your BP Numbers.....
There are "studies" that indicate certain foods help reduce BP such as dark chocolate, red wine ( moderation) oysters, and spinach may help to reduce numbers. Do some research and see if any fit your lifestyle. Good luck.

[Squatter]

IMO, there is a big genetic component to it. I have high blood pressure(although not really high - it averaged 145/98 before meds) and yet I have no risk factors other than family history. Even when I was in top cardiovascular shape it was high.

After about 6 months of monitoring and doing everything I could to get it down on it's own, I had to go on meds (Micardis plus) as it just wouldn't budge down consistently.

[5kgLifter]

Interesting fact about blood pressure:

"Fifteen years ago, a BP reading of 150/95 would not have been a cause of particular concern (the threshold then was 160/100). But in the UK the bar is now set at 140/90 while in the United States the American Medical Association recently introduced a new category of "pre-hypertensive" for patients whose BP ranges between 120/80 and 140/90."

Home truths about high blood pressure | Society | The Observer

[angie828]

My dad had to control his as well with meds. I know that it is hereditary, but I think that if you can make small changes, to lower it, then that would be better than to be on pills.

[moeheep]

I used to be about 160/120, I lost 100 lbs...now about 105 / 70.......

[caloc]

My blood pressure improved once I started lifting and doing exercises. I needed to loose a few pounds and for me, it improved my BP greatly.

[steiner]

Thanks guys you have all helped me out some. I will do my best to lower it.

[dumbell]

Exercise to lower it, as well as adding lots of fruits and veggies to your diet. Hopefully you can get it under control this way.

[lazette]

Have you checked your bp lately to see what it has been doing? Just wondered if you had any luck lowering it. Best of luck to you and I do hope that you did lower it.