Many people want to know the cause of high blood pressure. That’s because even the most healthy people sometimes find themselves with unmanageable levels and doctors are unsure of why. That’s because genetics may play a very important part in the cause of high blood pressure. Of course, for those who don’t lead healthy lifestyles, genetics might not have anything to do with it. It’s the lifestyle choices people make that often determines how high their blood pressure gets. To be sure, however, you should visit your doctor so that he/she can effectively determine if you do, in fact, have high blood pressure and what to do about it.
Make Good Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes that can be causes of high blood pressure include lack of exercise, poor diet, poor stress control as well as alcohol consumption. All of these things can greatly improve your chances of getting high blood pressure and should be curbed if you hope to keep your blood pressure down to more manageable levels.
Lack of exercise is a major cause of high blood pressure. You should try to get some kind of exercise at least two or three times per week. Remember to ask your doctor before you start any exercise program. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to go kill yourself on the treadmill or start lifting heavy weights. Just walking around the block after dinner each night can great improve your blood pressure.
A poor diet can also be a cause of high blood pressure. Choose foods low in saturated fat and sodium. Go with your gut on which foods you should eat. If you’re not sure, ask your doctor or a dietitian. You might want to also consider reading food labels before you eat anything. Most foods today have food labels that tell not only the ingredients but will also tell you how many calories, how much fat and how much sodium is in each type of food.
There are many causes of high blood pressure but you can help your chances of never getting it in the first place by making better lifestyle choices. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure to make sure you’re in the clear and, if you aren’t, ask your doctor what you can do to bring your levels down. Many people live with high blood pressure. The best thing you can do is prevent it in the first place by curbing those activities that cause high blood pressure in the first place.
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* (April 5, 2010) Robert Sapolsky makes interdisciplinary connections between behavioral biology and molecular genetic influences. He relates protein synthesis and point mutations to microevolutionary change, and discusses conflicting theories of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium and the influence of epigenetics on development theories.
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4. Molecular Genetics I
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