One of the most widely experienced health problems in the world today is high blood pressure. People who have undiagnosed high blood pressure often end up suffering from serious illnesses because they allowed the problem to get worse without addressing it. High blood pressure has a variety of causes, and we'll be looking at a few of these now.
As you get older, you are more likely to have high blood pressure. Men are more at risk for high blood pressure around their mid-forties, and with women it's closer to fifty.
Hypertension is something that anyone can have, though, especially if you have risk factors such as being overweight. It's recommended to have your blood pressure checked regularly, especially if you're over forty, as this is when it becomes more likely that you'll develop this problem. Many other factors can influence your blood pressure as well, such as your eating habits and how often you exercise.
One habit that can contribute to high blood pressure is drinking more than two alcoholic beverages per day. Some people are confused because there is evidence that light drinkers are actually healthier than people who don't drink at all, and it's true that small amounts of alcohol may actually reduce your blood pressure. Yet evidence also shows that heavy drinking, of more than two glasses of an alcoholic beverage every day, has more negative than positive effects on your blood pressure and overall health. For people who have trouble controlling their alcohol consumption, it's preferable for them to stay away from it than to overindulge. This means that it may be helpful to have a drink or two, but beyond this you are risking high blood pressure and other problems.
High cholesterol may be one cause of high blood pressure, and both are associated with many ailments such as heart disease. When you work on monitoring your cholesterol, it's the "bad" cholesterol you want to watch out for. LDL is the harmful type of cholesterol, and this causes blockages in the arteries which is bad for the heart.
On the other hand, HDL is the good kind of cholesterol, and this actually reverses the damage done by bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol levels are maintained by exercising regularly and eating fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. Avoiding unhealthy foods, such as hydrogenated oils, processed foods and most fast foods can help you to reduce the bad cholesterol in your diet. Good health involves paying attention to many factors, and your blood pressure and cholesterol are among the most important of these. It's important that you know the above causes of high blood pressure to help you avoid this diagnosis or help treat it if you have already been diagnosed. If you might be at risk be sure you ask your doctor for treatment and diagnosis possibilities before beginning any regimen.
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Find out more about high blood pressure . High blood pressure is called the silent killer, so get the facts now.