February is American Heart Month. This is a critical issue to discuss as heart health is declining in the United States. According to the article titled, “More Than 100 Million Americans have High Blood Pressure, AHA Says” written by American Heart Association News, 103 million adults in the United States are currently diagnosed with high blood pressure, which accounts for almost half of all adults. As people continue to age, there is likely going to be a rise in the amount of people with high blood pressure. In the world, about a third of all adults are considered to have high blood pressure, and it is the major cause of cardiovascular related deaths. In November 2017, the criteria for determining high blood pressure was changed from 140/90 to 130/80. Under these new guidelines now 46 percent of adults in the United States are considered to have high blood pressure. If you qualify for high blood pressure under the new guidelines, your doctor may suggest the DASH diet, 30 minutes of activity each day, or even medication depending on other factors.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, The DASH diet entails including specific daily servings of foods that are deemed heart healthy. Some of these suggestions are including more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat diary, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils. Other suggestions in the DASH diet include limiting items that contain saturated fats, sugary drinks, and sweets. Some of the benefits that have been found with the DASH diet and increasing physical activity is lowering blood pressure and decreasing weight.
In the world, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in world causing 18 million deaths in the year 2015. A professor of cardiology named Dr. Emelia Benjamin suggests that, “There’s a real focus on improving health by adopting a healthy lifestyle, not just waiting to develop disease before one focuses on risk factors”. Prevention is one of the ways to combat high blood pressure in the future. To find out more ways to keep your heart and body healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.
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