Keep Your BP in the Safe Range

By Editorial Staff

High blood pressure is as dangerous as it sounds – when pressure is high and stays high (a condition known as hypertension), your risk of suffering a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, increases dramatically. Fortunately, there's good news: Research suggests a few easy steps can help keep your blood pressure in the safe range.

Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference are both known to increase hypertension risk, but a recent study goes a step further, not only verifying that both variables do increase risk, but also suggesting which to focus on managing based on gender. According to the study, "BMI played an important role in hypertension risk among males," while waist circumference proved to be the more important risk factor in females.

The take-away message here is straightforward: Guys, watch your BMI (click here for an easy BMI calculator). Ladies, watch your waistline. And of course, keep in mind that multiple variables contribute to high blood pressure, so neither gender should ignore one variable over another. Your doctor can tell you more about the dangers of high BP and suggest these and other strategies to keep your blood pumping – the way it should.