New guidelines reveal how to lower blood pressure
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have guidelines to help manage blood pressure and reduce hypertension-related risks.
unbranded – Lifestyle
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released a new set of guidelines to assist with reducing high blood pressure. This is the first set of new guidelines since 2017.
Here’s what you can do to stay healthy, and what to know about the impact high blood pressure has on New Yorkers.
What do the guidelines include?
The guidelines go over lifestyle changes, including:
- Reducing alcohol intake
- Being aware of how much salt is in your food
- Beginning a heart-healthy diet
- Getting exercise
What do the guidelines say about alcohol consumption?
The guidelines advise that “ideally, consuming no alcohol” is the best way to decrease blood pressure.
However, men who choose to drink should have only two drinks per day and women who choose to drink should have only one drink per day to limit high blood pressure.
How much salt is recommend for someone with high blood pressure?
The guidelines recommend consuming under 2,300 mg of sodium per day, gradually moving towards consuming 1,500 mg per day.
According to the guidelines, “most adults in the U.S. get their sodium from eating packaged and restaurant foods, not the salt shaker.”
What do the guidelines advise for a heart-healthy diet?
The guidelines use the DASH eating plan as an example of the type of diet those with high blood pressure should adopt.
This type of diet includes low amounts of sodium and high amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The guidelines also encourage eating low-fat or nonfat dairy, lean meats, poultry, fish and non-tropical oils.
How much exercise is needed to reduce blood pressure?
The guidelines recommend getting 75 to 150 minutes of exercise weekly. This promotes a healthy lifestyle, as the guideline recommends those with high blood pressure set a goal of losing 5% of their body weight.
Exercise also encourages stress reduction, which can reduce blood pressure. The guideline recommends a variety of physical activity, such as aerobic exercises, resistance training and yoga.
What other advice do the guidelines give?
The guidelines suggest at-home blood pressure monitoring to keep track of progress. They also go over the criteria for having high blood pressure and hypertension, risk assessment tools and resources on how to navigate high blood pressure with other conditions.
You can access the guidelines on the American Heart Association’s website.
How many New Yorkers are impacted by high blood pressure?
In 2023, the New York State Department of Health estimated that almost 5 million people in the state had high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can put you at risk of heart disease, which is not only the leading cause of death in New York, but in the United States and globally, as well.
About the Author
