ASDA Health Matters

Blood pressure is the measure of pressure in our arteries. When your heart beats it pushes blood through your arteries at its highest pressure - called the systolic pressure - and when the heart relaxes the pressure in the arteries is called the diastolic pressure.

When the systolic and diastolic are measured they are written down as two figures like this: 120/80 mmHg (millimetres of mercury). The first number is the systolic and the second is the diastolic.

The optimal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. If you have had a heart attack, a stroke, have diabetes or have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD), recommendations say it should be below 130/80 mmHg.

Low Blood Pressure

Hypotension is when our blood pressure is 90/60 mmHg or less. Some people naturally have low blood pressure. Having low blood pressure shouldn't be a case for concern unless it causes you to feel faint or dizzy often, in which case you should visit your GP who may investigate why it's happening.

High Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is equal to or above 140/90 mmHg, we are classified as having high blood pressure or hypertension.

Hypertension is a problem because your heart has to work harder to push the blood around your body and, over time, it can become enlarged and beat less effectively. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

Sometimes there is no explanation for the cause of high blood pressure, but can be due to:

• Inactivity
• Being overweight
• High salt consumption
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Having a poor diet
• Having a family history of hypertension

Reducing Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure you can normally reduce it by making simple lifestyle:

• Become more physically active
• Lose weight if overweight
• Reduce salt consumption
• Cut down on alcohol intake
• Have a balanced healthy diet

Making these changes even if you don't have a high blood pressure can help to prevent getting it.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is need by the body's cells. However, the cholesterol we need is made by the body, so we don't need any from the diet. Too much cholesterol in the blood can increase your chance of developing heart problems.

Cholesterol is carried around the body on proteins called ‘lipoproteins'. There are a few types of lipoproteins but the types which are particularly important are low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL cholesterol (‘bad' cholesterol) carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells while HDL cholesterol (‘good' cholesterol) returns excess cholesterol to the liver.

Having too much LDL (bad) cholesterol can increase your chance of suffering from heart disease. This risk is particularly increased if you have high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Causes of high cholesterol

Cholesterol is contained in many foods such as eggs, liver, kidneys and some seafood, such as prawns. However, consuming these types of foods isn't thought to significantly increase your blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels are thought to be increased by eating too many saturated or trans fats.

Unfortunately, some people who eat a healthy balanced diet may still have raised cholesterol levels. These people are thought to have familial hyperlipidaemia, which is a hereditary condition.

Reducing cholesterol levels

To reduce your cholesterol levels you should aim to cut down the total fat in your diet. You should also cut down on saturated fat and replace it with poly- and monounsaturated fats.

Try to eat two portions of fish a week, one of which is an oily fish. Oily fish provide polyunsaturated fats called omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for heart health.

You should try to eat foods high in soluble fibre, as evidence shows eating the soluble fibre found in foods such as pulses, oats, nuts, fruits and vegetables, can help to reduce cholesterol levels.

By doing regular exercise you can increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in your blood.

And finally, it can be costly, but you can eat sterol and stanol fortified foods to help lower your cholesterol levels.

For more information on staying healthy why not listen to one of our podcasts with our Asda Nutritionist on making healthy choices or hearth health and nutrition.  Simply click on the relevant link or visit the podcast section of our website.