Author: Shefalee Loth Category: Health, Heart Health, Men's Health, Women's Health
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Having your blood pressure checked could save your life

A stroke is when the blood supply to your brain is cut off starving your brain of oxygen – either because of a blockage, such as a blood clot (ischemic stroke), or a bleed (haemorrhagic stroke).  Approximately a third of people who have a stroke recover completely, a third has disabilities (ranging from mild to severe) and a third will die.

Each year there are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK – the equivalent of a stroke every five minutes, and many of these strokes could have been prevented.  Stroke is the 4th leading cause of death, and the leading cause of disability, in the UK.

Aren’t I too young to worry about stroke?

It’s true that the risk of stroke increases with age; the average age in the UK for a man to suffer a stroke is 74 compared to 80 for women (figures are lower in Scotland, 71 for men and 76 for women).

However, the average age of stroke has dropped significantly in recent years and a quarter of strokes are now in people of working age, so it’s never too early to start thinking about your health and taking precautions

Isn’t stroke a male disease?

While men are more likely to have strokes at a younger age than women, more women die of their stroke.  This is because women tend to have them later on in life.

To put things into perspective, strokes cause twice as many deaths in women each year as breast cancer so it is definitely not something we can ignore.

Can I do something to prevent stroke?

Yes!  Research carried out last year showed that nine out of 10 strokes are preventable.  As a result Blood Pressure UK launched a campaign STOPStroke to show people what they can do to help prevent having a stroke.

There are some risk factors for stroke – such as age, ethnicity and family medical history – that we can’t modify but many strokes are caused by factors we can control such as certain medical factors and lifestyle choices.  These include looking after your blood pressure, limiting your alcohol intake, eating more fruit and veg and being more active.  As a nation we have already started to make changes, such as quitting smoking and eating less salt, and as a result, the number of people having strokes is dropping – 19% less in 2010 than 1990.

Know Your Numbers

Of all the risk factors for stroke, high blood pressure is the biggest and is responsible for at least half of all strokes.  Therefore, keeping your blood pressure under control is the biggest thing you can do to cut your risk of stroke.

Around one in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure however a large proportion doesn’t know it.  This is because there are rarely any signs or symptoms for high blood pressure; the only way to know is to have it measured.

Your blood pressure is given as two measurements – the pressure when your heart beats and pushes blood around your body (systolic) and the pressure in between beats when your heart relaxes (diastolic).  The result is written as systolic/diastolic mmHg (millimetres of mercury).

A healthy blood pressure is 120/80mmHg, described as ‘120 over 80’.  If your blood pressure is between 121/81mmHg and 139/89mmHg it is higher than it should be.  You have high blood pressure if your measurements are consistently 140/90mmHg or above.

Lower your blood pressure

If it’s high making a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle can have a significant effect on lowering it and in turn reducing your risk of stroke.

Eat less salt

The biggest cause of high blood pressure is having too much salt in your diet. In the UK we currently consume around 8g a day – much higher than the recommended maximum of 6g.

To cut your salt intake stop adding salt when cooking or at the table and limit your use of stock cubes and sauces such as ketchup and soy.  ‘Posh’ salts such as sea salt and rock salt are still sodium chloride and just as harmful as table salt.

Unfortunately, 75% of the salt we eat is already in food we buy, such as bread, breakfast cereals, ready meals, processed meat and sauces.  Checking food labels, avoiding high-salt foods (those with a red traffic light) and choosing low-salt versions will help to reduce your salt intake.

Eat more fruit and veg

Fruit and vegetables are a great source of potassium which lowers blood pressure.  They’re also a great source of fibre and other nutrients.

Eating at least five portions a day will help to lower your blood pressure, but aim for even more if you can.  A portion is 80g, around a handful and fresh, frozen and canned all count.  Beans, lentils and dried fruit can also count towards one portion a day.

Lose weight (if you need to)

Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight can help to keep your blood pressure healthy.

As you get older a few extra pounds can creep on, this is because our bodies don’t need as many calories to keep them going but we don’t adjust for this in the amount we eat.

Making a few simples swaps in your diet can make a real change – for example ditching sugar-sweetened drinks and opting for water; and baking, grilling, steaming and poaching food instead of frying.  Choose lower-fat proteins such as white meat (without skin), leaner cuts of red meat, fish, eggs, tofu and other vegetarian sources of protein such as pulses.  Also watch your portion sizes and fill your plate with vegetables and salads.

Be more active

Being active lowers your blood pressure, makes your heart healthier and can have the added benefit of aiding weight loss.  The government advises us to do 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.  Although that might sound like a lot breaking it down into five sessions of 30 minutes can make it more manageable.

If you don’t currently exercise, break it down into smaller chunks and get a friend on board to exercise with you.  Moderate activity is anything that gets you slightly out of breath and warm so can be brisk-walking, dancing, swimming and gardening.

Drink less

Drinking too much increases your blood pressure so stick to the updated recommendation of 14 units a week for both men and women.

Fourteen units is probably a lot less than you think – it’s 6 medium (175ml) glasses of wine or 14 single measures of spirits – so it’s easy to see how simple it is to exceed these recommendations, especially when mixing your own drinks at home.

Start now!

Lowering you blood pressure will reduce your risk of having a stroke and other illness, so it really is worth getting yours checked.  Get your blood pressure measured during Know your Numbers! Week which takes place 18-24 September 2017.  

You can find the nearest free blood pressure check by visiting Blood Pressure UK

Blood Pressure UK is the only charity solely dedicated to lowering the nation’s blood pressure to prevent disability and death from stroke and heart disease.

Shefalee Loth is a Nutritionist at Blood Pressure UK