Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 3: High blood pressure is always caused by a poor diet and lack of activity.

There are some diet and lifestyle factors that can certainly increase your risk of high blood pressure. Some of the major factors include eating too much salt, a lack of regular physical activity or being overweight or obese. However, some of the risk factors for high blood pressure are things that you cannot control such as:

• Age (about half of people over the age of 65 have high blood pressure)
• Family history of high blood pressure
• Ethnicity (high blood pressure is more common among people who are of African, South Asian or First Nations, Inuit or Métis heritage.)

If you belong to an at-risk group, talk to your doctor about your blood pressure as soon as possible. Make sure you are getting regular blood pressure checks and listening to your doctor’s advice on the best preventive measures.

(Next week - Myth # 4)

The information contained in this post was obtained from  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

Monica

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.