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To start, let’s play a game..

Guess what the number 1 cause of death is in the modern world..

Do you have your guess yet?

If you guessed heart disease, you are not wrong. If you guessed high blood pressure, you are very smart and you get a gold star. That is because high blood pressure is the leading contributor to the leading cause of death in the modern world. The leading contributor to the leading cause of death is, by definition, the single leading cause of death in humans.

Yes, heart disease is the top killer but that doesn’t mean as much to us as what is most often causing it. About 67+ million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure, making it the most common risk factor for heart disease.

Not only is high blood pressure the leading cause of the #1 killer (heart disease), it is also the leading contributor to another top 5 killer on the top 10 list, strokes.

So why is high blood pressure so deadly?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, causes some real physiological changes inside our bodies. These changes seriously compromise many of our organ systems, especially over time.

Let’s briefly take a closer look at how it affects each system in the body.

Heart Disease: It forces the heart to work harder than normal to pump blood, leading to an enlarged heart and eventually heart failure.

Stroke: High blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the brain to burst or clog more easily, leading to strokes.

Kidney Damage: It can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, reducing their ability to filter waste from the blood and potentially leading to kidney failure.

Vision Loss: Hypertension can damage the blood vessels in the eyes, leading to vision problems or blindness.

Aneurysm: It can cause blood vessels to weaken and bulge, creating an aneurysm that can rupture and lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.

Cognitive Decline: It has been linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia due to reduced blood flow to the brain.

Peripheral Artery Disease: It can lead to a narrowing of the blood vessels in the limbs, causing pain and possibly leading to gangrene in extreme cases.

As you can see, none of these issues are minor. The majority of these issues are directly life threatening so generally so blood pressure should be at the top of the list when addressing your health.

What causes high blood pressure and how do you address these causes?

There are a number of issues that can contribute more or less to high blood pressure. Some of these factors you have total control over and others (like genetics) you have less control. Regardless most people should be able to eventually obtain a healthy blood pressure through an optimal lifestyle. Let’s get started..

DIET: High intake of salt is a primary cause of high blood pressure, especially when there is also a deficiency of dietary potassium. Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells, and low levels can lead to increased blood pressure. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of sodium for adults is less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. For potassium, adult males should aim for at least 3,400 mg while adult females should try to get at least 2,600 mg per day.

Processed foods should be minimized as they generally contain too much sodium. Especially foods like processed deli meats, canned soups, fast foods, breads, packaged snacks and others. Get in a habit of checking nutrition labels for sodium content.

To increase your potassium intake, include more foods into your diet such as bananas/fruits, beans/legumes, potatoes/yams, vegetables, greens, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, unprocessed meats and dairy. Again, remember to check nutrition labels as processed forms of these foods can contain even more sodium than potassium.

Keep in mind that paleolithic humans in their natural environment tended to consume about 4 times as much potassium as sodium. Modern domesticated humans on the other hand often consume more sodium than potassium. It’s no surprise that heart disease is our main killer.

You should avoid refined vegetable oils as they usually contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid. While small amounts of omega-6 fatty acids are essential in the diet, an imbalance with omega-3 fatty acids can lead to inflammation, which is a risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Aim for a 4 to 1 ratio between omega 6 and 3 fatty acids. When you exceed 4 parts of omega 6 to every 1 part of omega 3, you will run into inflammatory problems.

On the other hand, saturated fats have been demonized recently (mostly by the sugar industry attempting to shift the health blame away from themselves) but the reality is that we need some saturated fat to produce hormones and it is healthy as long as it is consumed in properly balanced amounts. Aim for 10% or less of your dietary calories to come from healthy saturated fats and you shouldn’t run into issues. Studies only consistently show issues when saturated fats exceed 10% of dietary calories.

Perhaps the most important dietary land mine to avoid is refined sugar which is a major detriment to health for many reasons beyond just blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Added sugar contributes to high blood pressure in various ways including weight gain, increased blood levels of insulin, by damaging the internal lining of blood vessels, by increasing inflammation and due to the damaging effects of fructose which increases uric acid. (High uric acid raises blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk)

With general diet guidelines covered, let’s move onto the next factor..

LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/EXERCISE: Sedentary lifestyles can lead to weight gain and increased blood pressure. There are various additional ways in which lack of exercise contributes to the problem. The resulting weight gain doesn’t help at all, then you have reduced heart efficiency and blood vessel function, overactive sympathetic nervous system (increased fight or flight response) which causes increased heart rate and constricted blood vessels, increased stress levels, poor circulation and hormone imbalances caused by lack of physical activity. Now let’s look at the benefits of getting off your butt..

-Exercise-

Adding in the exercise that was lacking from a sedentary individual provides dramatic effects for blood pressure regulation and in fact it is perhaps the top longevity booster along with adequate sleep. First we’ll briefly discuss the various ways exercise regulates blood pressure and cardiovascular health, then we’ll look at what types of exercise are best and how much.

So how does exercise work to stabilize blood pressure?

1. Improved Heart Efficiency

Regular physical activity strengthens the heart, enabling it to pump blood more efficiently. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort, reducing the force on the arteries and consequently lowering blood pressure.

2. Reduction of Blood Vessel Stiffness

Exercise helps maintain the elasticity of the arteries. Regular physical activity prevents or reduces the stiffness of blood vessels, allowing them to dilate more easily. This improved flexibility helps lower blood pressure.

3. Weight Management

Exercise aids in weight loss and weight maintenance. Being overweight or obese is a significant risk factor for high blood pressure. Reducing body weight through regular physical activity can lead to lower blood pressure.

4. Stress Reduction

Physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. Exercise also helps reduce levels of stress hormones like cortisol. Lower stress levels will contribute to lower blood pressure.

5. Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, which helps the body manage blood sugar levels more effectively. Improved blood sugar control can reduce the risk of diabetes and lower blood pressure.

6. Reduction of Systemic Inflammation

Regular exercise helps reduce inflammation in the body, which can contribute to high blood pressure. Lower levels of inflammation are associated with better cardiovascular health.

7. Direct Impact on Blood Pressure

During physical activity, systolic blood pressure increases to meet the demands of the body, but after exercise, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure often decrease to levels lower than pre-exercise values. This effect is known as post-exercise hypotension.

8. Improved Blood Lipid Profile

Regular exercise helps raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. A healthier lipid profile contributes to better cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure.

Now, what kind of exercise and how much?

In general any type of exercise will be helpful including cardio, high intensity sprint training, weight lifting and even stretching or balance routines. However we’ll focus on the most effective which are aerobic (cardio), anaerobic (high intensity/sprint), and weight lifting/resistance training.

Aerobic exercise, like walking or cycling, strengthens your heart and keeps your blood vessels flexible, making it easier for blood to flow and lowering your blood pressure. Anaerobic exercise, such as sprinting or high-intensity interval training, boosts your heart’s efficiency and metabolism through short bursts of intense activity, also helping with blood pressure control. Resistance training, like lifting weights, builds muscle and improves insulin sensitivity, which reduces arterial stiffness and supports overall cardiovascular health. Mixing these exercises offers a well-rounded approach to managing high blood pressure effectively. Let’s take a look at an ideal exercise prescription..

1. Aerobic Exercise: Maintain the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Consistency is key, so spread this throughout the week.
2. Anaerobic Exercise (HIIT): Continue with 1-2 sessions per week of HIIT. These sessions should be intense but balanced with adequate rest periods to allow for recovery. Click here to read my article all about sprint training.
3. Resistance Training: Stick to muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week, ensuring you target all major muscle groups. Focus on proper form and gradually increase resistance as you become stronger.

If you’re doing all three types of exercises weekly, monitor how your body responds. Pay attention to signs of fatigue, soreness, or decreased performance, which may indicate you need more rest or a lighter workout week. Always listen to your body and adjust your exercise intensity and frequency accordingly to maintain a sustainable routine that supports your overall health and blood pressure management goals.

Now that we’ve covered diet and exercise let’s move onto the next category..

OBESITY: Excess weight in the form of body fat increases blood pressure in multiple ways. First, it increases the workload on the heart which can increase blood pressure. Additionally obesity increases blood pressure through more complex mechanisms related to increased sodium retention, sympathetic nervous system over activation, increased inflammation, hormonal dysregulation (leptin) and negative structural changes to blood vessels.

Now, about how to address the issue of excess bodyfat..

We already have covered exercise and that is a massively powerful tool for weight loss.

We covered diet adjustments for blood pressure too and some of what we discussed will be helpful but it wasn’t exactly specific to weight loss, especially on the topic of sodium and potassium.

Some quick diet related tips for shedding body fat are..

• Obviously, consuming less calories in the form of carbohydrates and fat.

• Eating protein at the beginning of every meal. Protein is the most satiating of the 3 macro nutrients. This means that filling up with the protein portion of your plate for every meal will have a significant effect over time reducing your carbohydrate and fat intake. The result will be increased lean body mass and decreased fat mass over time.
• Completely remove sugary drinks from your diet. Many people have lost several dozens of pounds just with this one adjustment.
• Increase your fiber content
• Be mindful and start meal planning. Eat logically, not emotionally.

If you want to take a deeper dive into weight loss, here are some articles to browse. This article is about how to control your hormone leptin for weight loss. This article takes a deeper look at the types foods that have a direct effect on stimulating fat burning and weight loss. Here I write about using apple cider vinegar for weight loss. This article discusses cold therapy for weight loss. And finally here is my article about the compound called lactoferrin for weight loss.

Now let’s move onto the next category..

STRESS: Chronic stress contributes to hypertension in a few ways. First, a high stress life increases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones prepare the body to respond to a threat by increasing heart rate and tightening blood vessels, leading to elevated blood pressure.

Chronic stress also contributes to high blood pressure in other ways such as increasing anxiety and depression, chronic inflammation, sodium retention and damaged blood vessel structure which leads to less vascular elasticity.

The most effective way to remove stress is literally to remove the stressors. This could mean cutting certain negative people out of your life, finding a new job or changing your own habits that are causing you stress. Sometimes this is not an option, you may not be in a position to quit a stressful job for example. In this instance, use the power of your own mind. Take breaks and think of your happy places. Use deep slow breathing. Talk to yourself in your mind, tell yourself that you are tough and everything will be okay, you might be surprised at how much of a difference this will make. I also recommend you get into herbal adaptogens, these are natural herbal remedies that are well studied to protect your body from a general broad spectrum of stressors. I have written multiple articles where some of my favorite adaptogens are discussed. Here is an article that broaches a few adaptogenic herbs. This article is about ashitaba, an adaptogen that is also a brain booster. This article is about schisandra berry, a stress reliever that is also a renowned beauty and longevity tonic. Finally, this article discusses reishi mushroom, an ancient longevity and immune system geared adaptogen.

Other important requirements for a low stress life include exercise, adequate sleep, healthy relationships, optimal diet, practicing gratitude, realistic goal setting and stress relieving activities such as yoga, breathing techniques, nature exposure/forest bathing.

Now we’ll finish up with one last category for blood pressure regulation..

ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO: Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking can raise blood pressure. The blood pressure mechanism here with drinking is actually similar to obesity. Alcohol negatively affects blood pressure via negatively altered sympathetic nervous system function, negative hormonal changes, negative structural changes to the lining of blood vessels and increased sodium retention.

Smoking is also detrimental and increases blood pressure through multiple mechanisms such as functional damage to blood vessel lining, oxidative stress and inflammation, increased platelet aggregation, insulin resistance and the direct blood pressure increasing effects of nicotine.

The best thing you can do is simply stop both of these vices. While it is beneficial to merely cut back on your drinking or switch from smoking to vaping clean nicotine, using gum or patches, ultimately you are best off cutting them out completely especially if you have an addictive personality. If you can’t do this alone, get some help and go to group AA sessions. Being around people with a common goal is helpful.

In summary

High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart disease and strokes, two of the top killers worldwide. It causes significant physiological changes over time, compromising organ systems like the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels. To attack and reverse high blood pressure, focus on a balanced diet low in sodium and rich in potassium, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. These measures can help mitigate the deadly effects of hypertension and improve overall health. Thank you for taking the time to partake in my content, I wish you all the best in your health and life.