Hypertension , as can be seen from a simple search on medical websites, is a condition characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries, determined by the amount of blood pumped by the heart and the resistance of the arteries to blood flow.
It affects approximately 30% of the adult population of both sexes and, in women, is more common after menopause. It’s a problem that can be managed.
There are, in fact, a series of dietary and behavioral precautions that can help us avoid situations that can compromise our health, listed by experts in the field.
In an interview with Il Messaggero , Dr. Natale Di Belardino offers readers a series of valuable tips.
They must be followed carefully because they are really simple but effective for feeling better, avoiding risks.
In a lengthy interview with Il Messaggero, Dr. Natale Di Belardino, head of cardiology at Anzio Hospital , sheds light on hypertension. It’s important to be careful about what you buy, adopting simple but effective measures that can improve your health. Hypertension is more severe in winter, but heat is an ally, lowering it to the point that, in the warmer months, only 80% of patients take their medication.
One might wonder if it’s true that those who eat only natural foods, without salt, don’t develop hypertension. This is wrong, although it’s true that we should choose foods with low salt content. It’s enough to simply look more carefully at food labels before adding them to your shopping cart . Foods to eat rarely? Those high in salt, like hamburgers, cheeses, and cured meats.
It’s perfectly fine, says the expert, to monitor blood pressure using increasingly reliable measuring instruments. Here too, the patient must be relaxed, calm, and seated before taking the self-measurement , measuring it three times in a row, since the third measurement is the most accurate. This brings us to another question: what values should be respected?
Once again, the European guidelines come to our aid, according to which the value should be between 140 and 90. There are some exceptions, such as diabetics or those who have had a thoracic aortic aneurysm, for whom the blood pressure should be lower. But how often should blood pressure be measured? Here too, the advice of a true expert can dispel any doubts.
The frequency of measurement depends on age. In the first 20 years, blood pressure should be measured at least once. It should be measured every 15 days for all at-risk individuals. When it comes to the time of day to measure blood pressure, do it in the morning. A truly comprehensive interview can be preserved by taking advantage of simple tips to avoid risks. It’s important to understand the importance of nutrition . Health depends on what we eat every day, and even more so, what we buy. If the frenzy of life leads us to ignore labels, it’s precisely on these that we need to focus a little more when we go grocery shopping.
