Heart attack (Photo by Pexels / Pixabay)
It’s never too early to start thinking about your heart health, especially when it comes to your blood pressure. Heart diseases are the leading causes of death in the western world.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is 130/80 mmHg or higher. It can be caused by genetic and lifestyle factors, and tends to increase with age. There are hundreds of different genetic variations that can affect the risk of hypertension, on According to a 2019 study.
But while you can’t change your genes, you can lower your risk of high blood pressure by establishing healthy habits early in life. Cardiologists say that the sooner you make these positive changes, the greater impact you will have on your health 10, 20 or 30 years down the road.
Here are three ways people in their 20s and 30s can change their lifestyle habits and lower their risk of high blood pressure.
1. Cut back on eating meat
Cardiologists and cardiology experts recommend avoiding excessive consumption of red meat, which can raise cholesterol levels. Cholesterol and blood pressure are closely related because the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood through arteries that have been narrowed or hardened by cholesterol buildup, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol are two of the biggest causes of heart disease, and addressing your diet is one way to change that fate. Doctors say that most foods that raise cholesterol come from animals, because they too produce cholesterol.
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In general, a healthy diet should consist of incremental changes throughout life, such as baking food instead of frying or using healthier cooking oils, rather than trying the latest weight loss trend.
2. Keep going to the gym, even if it doesn’t work
A healthy diet can have an effect even without exercise – and sometimes there is not enough exercise to make up for a terrible diet. For both lifestyle moves, doctors usually tell their patients to aim for the right routine and not necessarily a perfect peak.
For everyone, the routine of life does not always allow staying in shape and sometimes mistakes happen regarding the right diet. But even if it happens, it doesn’t mean you have to punish yourself forever.
3. Quit smoking
The link between cigarette smoking and high blood pressure is well documented: according to the American Heart Association, cigarette smoking causes an increase in blood pressure that can lead to organ damage. Cardiologists say that electronic smoking should also be considered as a risk factor for heart health. The findings are not entirely clear, as e-cigarettes are relatively new, but early research found that e-cigarettes also cause blood pressure and heart rate to rise.
E-cigarette use is more popular among younger generations than cigarette smokers, and while some people assume it’s less harmful, the impact on heart function may be similar, according to preliminary findings presented at the 2022 AHA Scientific Sessions.
Ultimately, young people will have to make this decision: do they want to continue smoking for the rest of their lives. There doesn’t seem to be a doctor who thinks it’s healthy.
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