High blood pressure is rare in undeveloped countries

The risk of becoming hypertensive is greater than 90 percent for individuals in developed countries, according to research published in the Lancet several years ago.

Why do the undeveloped nations typically have low blood pressure?  Perhaps it’s because they eat healthy and get more exercise rather than sit in front of a TV or computer for hours on end, and they also don’t have access to alcohol or tobacco to use as unhealthy ways to cope with stress.

You can adopt many of their healthy lifestyle activities and still live in our developed country.  Eat nutritiously, be active, achieve a healthy weight, handle stress in healthier ways and watch your B/P drop.

The NIH is a governmental web site

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH) you can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium; and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation. In this section you will learn more about healthy lifestyle habits for preventing and controlling high blood pressure.

• Following a Healthy Eating Pattern
• Reducing Salt and Sodium in Your Diet
• Maintaining a Healthy Weight
• Being Physically Active
• Limiting Alcohol Intake
• Quitting Smoking

Each of the above is discussed in a separate NIH blood pressure article.

Resource Center:

• How To Treat High Blood Pressure Without Drugs
• Lower Your Blood Pressure With Vitamin C
• Olive Leaf Extract Lowers Blood Pressure
• Phytotherapy Research September 2008; 22(9):1239-42
• Reuters September 3, 2008
• Wikipedia

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