Revised Blood Pressure Guidelines
May 05, 2018The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association updated their blood pressure guidelines in November of 2017. Now, if you have a resting systolic blood pressure (upper number) of 130-139 or a resting diastolic (lower number) pressure of 80-89 you are considered Stage 1 hypertension. Yikes! This criteria has @ 46 percent of US Adults hypertensive.
Why the change? Studies show a strong association between high blood pressure and serious health risks. These include heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
How does aging increase blood pressure?
With increased age there is a higher risk of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries. There is also the gradual buildup of plaque in arteries and a reduction in the kidney’s efficiency to excrete salt. This affects blood pressure. (Lelbach & Koller 2017)
Obesity also strains cardiac output and disturbs the sympathetic nervous system which causes arteries to constrict and metabolic abnormalities.
What are we to do?
Always check with your physician, but it is recommended to do cardio exercise for 90-150 minutes per week at 65-75 percent heart rate reserve. Resistance training is also recommended at 90-150 minutes per week at 50 to 80 percent of 1 repetition max.
How does this help?
Cardio reduces epinephrine and norepinephrine levels which decreases artery constriction. It also enhances blood vessel function and structural adaptations. (Lelback & Koller 2017)
The average results ( Whelton et al. 2017) of following the exercise guidelines brought BP down 2 - 4 point in adults with normal BP. Hypertensive adults saw a drop of 5-8 points. Of course, decreases vary widely.
The DASH diet is also recommended. This diet follows the guidelines of less sodium, less saturated fat, less total fat, and less alcohol. The DASH diet recommends more fruit, veggies, whole grains and low fat dairy. It appears low carbohydrate and vegetarian diets also help reduce pressure.
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