5 tips for preventing high blood pressure

Avoiding high blood pressure could cut your odds of having a stroke by 30 percent, reduce your chances for a heart attack by 23 percent, and slash your risk of heart failure and dementia by half. Follow these lifestyle tips to help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Researchers say being overweight seems to be the cause of half of all cases of high blood pressure. Carrying extra weight, especially around your waist, raises your odds for high blood pressure by a whopping 60 percent. The reason: belly fat pumps inflammatory compounds into your bloodstream, where they stiffen artery walls. Stiff arteries mean higher blood pressure. Excess fat can also interfere with your kidneys' ability to filter pressure-raising sodium out of your bloodstream. Losing a modest amount can protect you from this silent killer. When researchers followed 1,191 overweight women and men with high-normal blood pressure for more than two years, 65 percent of those who lost 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) and kept it off nudged their blood pressure down to healthy levels.

A low-fat diet packed with fruit and vegetables can work blood pressure–pampering magic. In one remarkable study, people with high blood pressure who followed a low-fat diet rich in fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy products for just eight weeks lowered their systolic pressure (the top number) by 11.4 points and their diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 5.5 points — an improvement on par with the effect of some blood pressure drugs. Blood pressure began to fall after just two weeks. Other studies show that eating this way every day can lower your odds of developing high blood pressure in the first place.

If you make just one dietary change to protect your pressure, eat less sodium. In a Duke University study of people with high blood pressure, 71 percent of those who cut back on salt but made no other menu changes brought their numbers down to normal. Health experts recommend getting less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day — that's less than a teaspoon of salt. If your pressure is beginning to rise, aim for no more than 1,500 milligrams. When you cook, add salt at the end (if at all); long cooking dulls salt's flavour, so you're more likely to add more at the table.

A half hour of brisk walking three to five days a week can keep your blood pressure five to six points lower than if you didn't exercise. No time? No problem. When British researchers checked the blood pressures of 106 government workers on a walking program, they found that those who got their exercise in short bursts enjoyed the same blood pressure–lowering benefits as colleagues who preferred one longer exercise session a day. Other research suggests that exercising in short bursts is actually preferable.

Regularly practicing a relaxation technique can help pressure-proof your blood vessels. When University of Kansas scientists analyzed 107 studies of the effect of meditation on blood pressure, they concluded it produces significant drops (one of the studies found a 10 point drop in systolic pressure and a six point drop in diastolic pressure). When Yale University School of Medicine researchers tested the blood pressure of 33 people taking a yoga class that met three times a week, they found improvements after just six weeks. Tai chi has also been shown to be effective.

High blood pressure can be deadly but it is preventable to a certain extent. Following these tips can help you avoid the dangers of high blood pressure.