A new NHS campaign has been launched to raise awareness of how high blood pressure (hypertension) can affect people over 40, and to encourage them to get checked in a nearby participating pharmacy.
The good news is, once diagnosed, high blood pressure can often be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight and making lifestyle changes, helping to support a healthier, longer life.
Why is high blood pressure dangerous?
If our blood pressure is consistently too high, it puts our heart and blood vessels under extra strain, as well as other organs such as the kidneys, and it can lead to a number of health problems including stroke, heart disease and heart attacks.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the second biggest killer in England (after dementia), causing a quarter of all deaths. Yet, many of these deaths are preventable. It’s estimated that there are 4.2 million people in England with undiagnosed hypertension.
Get a free blood pressure check
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have a test. It’s a free, simple and non-invasive procedure conducted in privacy at your local pharmacy, and you don’t need to book in advance.
Find a pharmacy that offers free NHS blood pressure checks to over 40s by clicking here.
How losing weight with Slimming World helps to reduce blood pressure
Food Optimising naturally encourages you to enjoy a healthy, balanced and varied diet which supports both your weight loss and the management of your blood pressure.
- Being a healthy weight is a key factor in supporting heart health and losing just 5% of your body weight can reduce the risk of heart disease.
- By Food Optimising you’ll be cutting down on less healthy saturated fat (for example fatty meats, butter, cakes, pastries) while including more omega 3 fats (found in oily fish like salmon and mackerel, plus walnuts and linseed), all beneficial to heart health.
- Get active! Moving more comes with a whole host of benefits and many are linked to a healthy heart, including a lower risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. To stay fit and healthy, it’s recommended you get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, or around 20 to 30 minutes a day and you can do this in any way that works for you – walking, cycling, going to the gym for a swim or exercise class. Even keeping on top of the gardening – it all counts!
Discover two great ways to join Slimming World today
Meet the Slimming World member
Bill Chana’s 6½st weight loss was life changing…
‘”My health improvements have all been down to my new lifestyle. My blood pressure is stable, I’m medication free, my type 2 diabetes is now in remission, my asthma symptoms have gone, and my GP has told me there is no fat around my liver. Losing weight has transformed my health and my life.’“
