Understanding hypertension

Hypertension is mainly related to environmental and lifestyle factors, including:

• unhealthy diet,
• consumption of food containing too much salt and fat,
• not eating enough fruit and vegetables,
• physical inactivity and lack of exercise,
• harmful alcohol use, 
• smoking and use of other tobacco products, or
• high levels of stress and poor stress management.

Genetic factors can also play a role in high blood pressure, heart disease, and other related conditions. People with family members diagnosed with high blood pressure are at risk of developing the disease and should therefore be mindful of the risk factors mentioned above, and should go for regular check-ups.

What you can do

Making small changes for big health benefits: Here are some healthy living tips that you can use to improve your health.

1. Eating a healthy balanced diet

• Reduce your salt intake to no more than 1 teaspoon (5g) of salt a day.
  • Reduce the salt added to your food during cooking and at the table.
  • Make use of fresh and dried herbs, spices, garlic or lemon juice to add flavour to your food, without adding extra salt or salty seasoning.
  • Foods like packet soups, stock cubes, gravies, cheese, many breakfast cereals, breads, salty snacks, processed meats and fast foods are very high in salt, and should be used sparingly.
• Enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables, and aim to have at least 5 servings a day.
• Choose whole grain and high fibre foods.
• Limit unhealthy saturated and trans fats, found in fatty and processed meats, chicken skin, full-cream dairy products, butter, ghee, cream and hard cheeses, commercially baked goods such as pies, pastries, biscuits and crackers, fast foods and deep-fried potato/slap chips.
• Eat healthier unsaturated fats such as sunflower /canola /olive oil, soft tub margarines, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, avocado or fish. Try to include fatty fish (sardines, pilchards, salmon, and mackerel) at least twice a week.
• Eat small, regular meals. 

2. Doing more physical activity

• Increasing your level of physical activity doesn’t mean having to join a gym or a sports group!
  • There are lots of physical activities that are free, healthy and could be fun, for example, walking with your family or dog, dancing at home, avoiding lifts and taking the stairs instead, swimming, and gardening. 
• Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate (for example: fast walking) to vigorous (for example: jogging) activity at least 4-5 days per week. You can accumulate those 30 minutes in bits of 10 minutes throughout the day.
• Or 150 minutes (20 and 30 minutes) per week in order to reduce your risk of a number of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. 
• If you'd like to achieve a higher level of fitness, or would like to lose weight, then more physical activity is needed to achieve these goals, aiming for 300 minutes (5 hours) per week.

3. Avoiding harmful alcohol use, or if you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men.
    
4. Stopping tobacco use and exposure to tobacco products.
    
5. Managing stress and striving for a good night’s sleep.
    
6. Have your blood pressure and glucose levels checked at least once a year, and more often if you have a family history of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Treatment of hypertension

If hypertension is detected early it’s possible to minimise the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. Individuals who already have hypertension can manage their condition by: 

• adopting the healthy behaviours listed above,
• monitoring blood pressure at home if feasible,
• going for regular check-ups at a health facility, and
• regularly taking any prescribed medications for lowering blood pressure.

More information on hypertension

• Visit the health facility in your area
• Email the WoW! Initiative at wow@westerncape.gov.za
• Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa
  • Phone: Health Line 0860 1 HEART (0860 1 43278) or 021 422 1586
  • Email: heart@heartfoundation.co.za