Some health conditions, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors, can put people at a higher risk for developing high blood pressure. However, everyone can take steps to lower their blood pressure. The information provided here is based on CDC data, facts and figures.
Conditions
Because blood pressure tends to rise as people get older, everyone's risk for high blood pressure increases with age. In addition, some medical conditions can also raise your risk of high blood pressure.
Prehypertension
Prehypertension—blood pressure levels that are slightly higher than normal—increases the risk that you will go on to develop chronic high blood pressure.
| Blood Pressure Levels | |
|---|---|
| Normal | Systolic: less than 120 mmHg Diastolic: less than 80 mmHg |
| At Risk (Prehypertension) | Systolic: 120–139 mmHg Diastolic: 80–89 mmHg |
| High | Systolic: 140 mmHg or higher Diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher |
Diabetes
Diabetes affects the body's use of a hormone called insulin. This hormone tells the body to remove sugar from the blood. With diabetes, the body either doesn't make enough insulin, can't use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes sugars to build up in the blood. About 60% of people who have diabetes also have high blood pressure
Behavior
Healthy behaviors contribute to keeping your blood pressure low, which in turn decreases your risk of heart disease.
Diet
Sodium is the element in salt that can raise blood pressure. Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed and restaurant foods. Eating too much sodium can increase blood pressure. Not eating enough potassium (from fruits and vegetables) can also increase blood pressure.
Weight
Being overweight can cause high blood pressure.
Physical Inactivity
Not getting enough exercise can make you gain weight, which can lead to high blood pressure.
Alcohol Use
Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure.
Tobacco Use
Smoking raises your risk for high blood pressure.
Prehypertension
Blood pressure levels that are higher than normal put you at risk for developing high blood pressure.
| Blood Pressure Levels | |
|---|---|
| Normal |
Systolic: less than 120 mmHg
Diastolic: less than 80 mmHg |
| At risk (prehypertension) |
Systolic: 120–139 mmHg
Diastolic: 80–89 mmHg |
| High |
Systolic: 140 mmHg or higher
Diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher |
Heredity
There are also several factors that you cannot change that affect your blood pressure, like heredity.
Age
Blood pressure tends to rise as people get older.
Race or Ethnicity
African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than whites.1
Diabetes
About 60% of people who have diabetes also have high blood pressure.2
Family History
High blood pressure can run in families. People can inherit genes that make them more likely to develop the condition. The risk for high blood pressure can increase even more when heredity is combined with unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking cigarettes and eating a poor diet.
Consume Less Sodium (1,500 mg/day or less)
Most of the sodium we consume is in the form of salt, and the vast majority of sodium we consume is in processed and restaurant foods. Too much sodium is bad for your health. It can increase your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the first and third killers of men and women in the United States each year.
Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day, and meet the potassium recommendation (4,700 mg/day) with food.
- You are 51 years of age or older.
- You are African American.
- You have high blood pressure.
- You have diabetes.
- You have chronic kidney disease.
The 1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population overall and the majority of adults. Nearly everyone benefits from reduced sodium consumption. Eating less sodium can help prevent, or control, high blood pressure.
Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, and restaurants foods. Only a small amount comes from salt added during cooking and from being added at the table. You can find out how much sodium you are eating by checking the labels on food products and adding up the milligrams of sodium. If at a restaurant, ask for nutritional information facts that include sodium.
Source: Mattes, RD, Donnelly, D. Relative contributions of dietary sodium sources. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 1991;10(4):383–393.
Choose a Heart-Healthy Diet
The DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a simple heart healthy diet that can help prevent or lower high blood pressure.
This diet is LOW in sodium, cholesterol, saturated and total fat, and HIGH in fruits and vegetables, fiber, potassium, and low-fat dairy products.
Making other lifestyle changes, like getting more physical activity, while on the DASH eating plan gives you the biggest benefits.
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