7 Ways to Prevent Hypertension

High blood pressure, which is also called hypertension, increases your risk of developing many serious health problems. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, among other health risks.

In 2017, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and AHA issued new guidelines for high blood pressure, which define hypertension as 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or higher. The standard used to be 140/90 mmHg. Under the new guidelines, nearly half of Americans meet the definition for high blood pressure.

What’s more, only about a quarter of adults with high blood pressure in the United States have their condition under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While you can’t always control whether you get high blood pressure, there are healthy lifestyle habits you can develop to help prevent hypertension and reduce your risk of high blood pressure–related health problems in the future.

Hypertension Prevention Factors You Can Control

Your age, a family history of hypertension, and ethnicity are among the hypertension risk factors that are out of your control. When it comes to preventing high blood pressure, the idea is to focus on the risk factors that you can change.

“We can’t do anything about our age, but we can do something about our lifestyle,” says Olugbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, a clinical hypertension specialist, the director of the Center for Healthful Behavior Change, and a professor in the department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

To avoid a hypertension diagnosis, make these healthy lifestyle choices.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. When it comes to hypertension prevention, your weight is crucial, says Dr. Ogedegbe. People who are overweight should try to lose weight, and people of normal weight should avoid adding on any pounds. If you are carrying extra weight — or have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher — losing as little as 10 pounds can help prevent high blood pressure, according to the AHA.
2. Eat a balanced diet. Eating healthful foods can help keep your blood pressure under control. Get plenty of fruits and vegetables, and limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and sugar. Consider following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet, which has been shown to help manage blood pressure, according to the AHA. The eating plan maximizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet. Foods to limit include red meat, sodium, and sweets.
3. Cut back on salt. For many people, a low-sodium diet can help keep blood pressure normal. “The higher the sodium intake, the higher the blood pressure,” says Ogedegbe. You can cut back on your total salt intake by avoiding high-sodium packaged and processed foods and not adding salt to your meals. “I tell people to stay away from salt shakers,” adds Ogedegbe. One study of more than 400 adults with prehypertension found that the combination of reduced sodium intake and the DASH diet substantially lowered systolic blood pressure.
4. Exercise regularly. Get moving to prevent hypertension. “Physical activity is crucial,” says Ogedegbe. The more exercise you get, the better, but even a little bit can help control blood pressure. The AHA recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. This should also be supplemented with muscle strengthening activity, such as free weights or resistance training, two days per week.
5. Limit alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure. For women, that means no more than one drink a day, and for men, no more than two, according to the AHA.
6. Manage stress. While the link between stress and blood pressure is still being studied, stress is known to contribute to other important risk factors for hypertension, including unhealthy eating and alcohol intake, notes the AHA. Meditation may help you manage both stress and high blood pressure, according to the AHA.
7. Monitor your blood pressure. Make sure that you have your blood pressure measured regularly, either at your doctor’s office or at home. High blood pressure often occurs with no symptoms, so only blood pressure readings will tell you if your blood pressure is on the rise, notes the AHA. If your blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg, the AHA advises that you check it at least once every two years, starting at age 20. If your blood pressure is higher, you may have to get it checked more often.

Take a look at your lifestyle habits and decide where you can make changes to help prevent hypertension. Conquer small goals, such as snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of junk food, and continue to practice these good habits until they are a part of your daily routine.

Adopting these lifestyle changes can help prevent high blood pressure if your blood pressure is currently under control or lead to lower blood pressure if your numbers are already elevated.

Additional reporting by Ashley Welch.