What MS needs to know

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released a new set of guidelines to help with reducing high blood pressure.

This is the first set of new guidelines since 2017.

Mississippi had the highest share of adults with high blood pressure as of 2023. Almost half of residents had high blood pressure, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Mississippi Department of Health, it affects people of all ages and races. If it’s not controlled, it can lead to strokes, blindness, kidney disease or mental impairment.

Medicare advises people to shoot for blood pressure of 120/80.

If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80 and is under 139/89, you could be at risk of hypertension, according to MDH. Anything above 140/90 is high.

Here’s what you can do to stay healthy, and what to know about the impact high blood pressure has on people in Mississippi.

Table of Contents

What do the new blood pressure guidelines include?

The new guidelines go over lifestyle changes to help your cardiovascular health, including:

Reducing alcohol intake
Being aware of how much salt is in your food
Beginning a heart-healthy diet
Getting exercise

What do the guidelines say about drinking alcohol?

The guidelines advise that “ideally, consuming no alcohol” is the best way to decrease blood pressure.

However, men who choose to drink should have only two drinks per day and women who choose to drink should have only one drink per day to limit high blood pressure.

How much salt is recommend for someone with high blood pressure?

The guidelines recommend consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, gradually moving towards consuming 1,500 mg or less per day.

According to the guidelines, “most adults in the U.S. get their sodium from eating packaged and restaurant foods, not the salt shaker.”

What do the guidelines advise for a heart-healthy diet?

The guidelines use the DASH eating plan as an example of the type of diet those with high blood pressure should adopt.

This type of diet includes low sodium amounts and lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The guidelines also encourage eating low-fat or nonfat dairy, lean meats, poultry, fish and non-tropical oils.

How much exercise do I need to reduce blood pressure?

The guidelines recommend getting 75 to 150 minutes of exercise weekly. This promotes a healthy lifestyle. They also suggest that people with high blood pressure should try to lose at least 5% of their body weight.

Medicare advises people to try for 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily.

Exercise encourages stress reduction, which can reduce blood pressure. The guideline recommends a variety of physical activities, such as aerobic exercises, resistance training and yoga.

What other advice do the new blood pressure guidelines give?

The guidelines suggest at-home blood pressure monitoring to keep track of progress.

They also go over the criteria for having high blood pressure and hypertension, risk assessment tools and resources on how to navigate high blood pressure with other conditions.

You can access the guidelines on the American Heart Association’s website, heart.org.

How many Mississippi residents have high blood pressure?

According to a CDC report, about 46.8% of Mississippi adults had hypertension in 2023. In a Statista analysis, that was the highest rate in the nation.

The Mississippi Department of Health estimates that about 700,000 adults have high blood pressure and many more could be at risk.

It’s more common among African-Americans and starts effecting them earlier. Black people also higher higher rates of kidney disease and stroke.

It can be genetic, so if you have a family history, MDH advises you to be aware and monitor the issue.

Erin Jones is a New York Connect Reporter with USA TODAY Network.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at [email protected].

link