Health: Why is High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Important?

Why is High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Important?

This is the second of five posts looking at blood pressure.  These will be posted daily, and will conclude with an article on why leading a paleolithic lifestyle can contribute to maintaining a healthy blood presure.  Read the previous article here:- 'What is Blood Pressure?'.

What is High Blood Pressure Important?

High blood pressure is a condition otherwise known as Hypertension.  If untreated this leads to a greatly increased risk of heart disease, heart failure and stroke.  It also can lead to damage of the small blood vessels in the kidneys and the eyes.

How common is high blood pressure?

In the UK (and US) about one in three adults have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a level consistently at or above a Systolic pressure of 140mmHg and/or a diastolic pressure of 90mmHg.

People with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke.

People with high blood pressure are twice as likely to die from these as people with a normal blood pressure.

The only way to know for certain that you have high blood pressure is to get checked regularly, as there are no symptoms.  That is why it is known as the 'silent killer'.

Does this affect children too? 

Unfortunately this is beginning increasingly common for even young children.  You can read a previous post on this subject here:- Eight-to-Nine-Year-Olds With High Blood Pressure

Upcoming blog posts: 

3. What causes hypertension?

4. What can we do to maintain a healthy blood pressure?

5. Will a Paleolithic lifestyle help to lower hypertension?

Health: What is Blood Pressure?

 Health: What is Blood Pressure?

This is the first of five posts looking at blood pressure.  These will be posted daily, and will conclude with an article on why leading a paleolithic lifestyle can contribute to maintaining a healthy blood presure.

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries as it is pumped around the body by the heart.

Blood pressure primarily depends on a combination of two factors: 

• The force the heart uses to pump blood around the body;
• How relaxed or narrowed the arteries are. 

What do the numbers mean?

Blood pressure is always given as two numbers.  The first or top number is the systolic pressure: this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts (each heartbeat)

The second or bottom number is the diastolic pressure: this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes between each heartbeat.

The blood pressure is usually measured on a person's arm, just inside the elbow at the brachial artery by a device called a sphygmomanometer.

Normally blood pressure at rest should be equal to or less than 120/80 mm of mercury (mmHg).

Upcoming blog posts: 

2. Why is high blood pressure (hypertension) important?

3. What causes hypertension?

4. What can we do to maintain a healthy blood pressure?

5. Will a Paleolithic lifestyle help to lower hypertension?

Health: 60 Seconds on Fat Storage and Hormones

What is fat?

Fat (adipose tissue) is composed of cells called adipocytes. 

What are hormones?

Hormones are chemicals mainly produced by endocrine glands to provide a messaging mechanism between different cells and organisms in the body to evoke a particular action.  Hormones are released by these glands into the blood stream to have an affect on the targeted cells.

Isn't getting fat about eating too many calories?

Well yes and no.  Over-eating in any form without the requisite calorific output will lead to weight gain.  But in certain conditions under-eating can still encourage fat-gain.  In simple terms fat cells increase in size to store excess calories.  However this is not the only factor, nor is it the primary factory leading to fat-gain.

Hormones and their impact on fat levels

Fat cells can react to hormone production in different ways, through:

• stress
  • examples include adrenalin (also known as epinephrine) and cortisol;
• hunger
  • hormones affected by hunger include ghrelin, leptin and glucagon;
• eating
  • consuming food results in the release of insulin, dopamine and phenylethamine;
• exercise
  • hormones released during activity include serotonin and endorphins;
• one's sex
  • the hormones testosterone and estrogen store fat in different locations;

It is important to have the correct hormonal balance, over stimulation in one or more areas can have devastating consequences.

For example an over-production of the hormone insulin inhibits the release of fat as an energy source, which is why high carbohydrate diets such as the typical Western diet tend to cause weight gain because any stored body fat is unlikely to be used.

The stress hormone cortisol which is produced based on the bodies response to long term stressors (such as over-training, lack of sleep, etc) also promotes fat-storage, however adrenalin produced during acute (short-term) stressful situations promotes fat-burning.

The stress of (irregular) short-term intense exercise and a lower rate of insulin production such as that promoted in a paleo type diet will allow fat to be used more efficiently as an energy source and will less likely become the spare tyre.

Conclusion:

In summary get adequate quality sleep, don't over-eat (or under-eat), avoid stress, get used to feeling hungry and focus on short bursts of intense activity.

Motivation: Be SMART in 2011 - set yourself goals!

Question of the Week: How can I keep my New Year's Resolution?

Q: Marc Jones, Cape Town, South Africa.

I never manage to keep my New Year's Resolutions past a few weeks, any tips - Darryl?

--

A: The Fitness Explorer

As most of us embark on a New Year's Resolution, it is important to set goals.  We often choose goals that are quite vague such as 'I want to lose weight' or 'I will get fitter this year'.  No wonder 90% of us fail to achieve our resolution goals!

Making yourself accountable is the key to success.  One method that can help is the use of SMART goals.  This is not restricted to the start of a year, but useful at any time.

SMART stands for making goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed.

Specific - specify exactly what you want from your goal, don't be vague.

Measurable - can you measure and track its success?

Achievable - set an objective you can realistically attain.

Relevant- is this a suitable goal for YOU and you alone?

Timed - set a time frame for this goal.

Here's a couple of SMART goal examples:

“I will lose 7lbs of body fat, decrease my waist size by 2 inches and improve my body fat percentage from 18% to 13% by 31st March”

"I will increase my deadlift from 1.5 to twice my bodyweight by the end of 2011"

Other ways to increase success: 

• make your goals public and enlist the help of friends and family;
• set yourself small, measurable sub-tasks so it is easier to track progress;
• setting a goal isn't enough, nothing can be accomplished without taking action!

 --Darryl