Managing high blood pressure by JANICE TAI (Get plenty of potassium and eat less saturated fat and total fat.)

Managing hypertension helps to lower one's cardiovascular risks. JANICE TAI gets tips from doctors.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a silent killer, especially when it results in heart-related complications. The cause is unknown, but there appears to be a link to poor lifestyle habits like an unhealthy or salty diet and lack of exercise.

It has no signs or symptoms and many people are unaware that they suffer from it.
Managing hypertension helps to lower one's cardiovascular risks. The control of hypertension leads to a reduction in complications such as stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure and death.

For most adults, you should achieve and maintain your blood pressure below 140/90. If you have chronic kidney disease or diabetes, you should achieve and maintain your blood pressure below 130/80.

For those who wish to manage their hypertension, Dr Eric Hong, consultant cardiologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, has the following recommendations:

Lose weight
Weight loss should only be attempted by those who are overweight. To notice a reduction in blood pressure, it is necessary to lose approximately 4.5kg. For every 1kg lost, blood pressure decreases by 0.5-2.

Eat well
Try the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) diet. Information on Dash can be found at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute website (www.nhlbi.nih.gov). Get plenty of potassium and eat less saturated fat and total fat.

Reduce salt intake
Avoid salty food and do not add salt to food at the table. The current limit for otherwise healthy adults is 2,000mg of sodium a day (equivalent to a teaspoon of salt).
A National Nutrition Survey conducted in 1998 found that nine out of 10 Singaporeans exceeded this recommendation. The average Singaporean eats about 3,500mg of sodium a day.

Limit alcohol consumption
Increases in blood pressure are usually seen with more than two alcoholic drinks per day (a drink is equivalent to 355ml of beer with 5 per cent alcoholic volume, 150ml of 12 per cent wine or 30ml of 40 per cent spirits).

Exercise
Optimum reductions in blood pressure are achieved with as little as one hour of low intensity activity (such as walking) performed three or four times a week.

Smoking
Smoking does not cause high blood pressure but markedly increases the risk of heart disease in people with high blood pressure and can reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure lowering medication.

Dr Hong emphasises that it is important these changes be made in consultation with a doctor so that medication can be adjusted to suit each patient.

Source: Mind Your Body of the Straits Times dated 3rd September 2009