High blood pressure or hypertension is a
condition caused when the force of the blood against the arterial walls exceeds
drastically than what it normally is. A blood pressure reading exceeding 140/90
over a prolonged period of time is considered to be ‘high blood pressure’ or
diagnosed as ‘hypertension’.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is characterized by
extremely high levels of blood glucose (blood sugar) in the body, either due
to the insufficient secretion of insulin by the pancreas or reduced sensitivity
of the body to insulin. This makes your body unable to break down the sugars.
At first glance, these two conditions seem completely unrelated, but, according
to certain studies, the two conditions do have similar outcomes and could be
inter-dependent.
The Connect-
According
to the American Diabetes Association, the combination of hypertension
and type 2 diabetes is particularly lethal and can significantly
raise a person's risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Having type 2
diabetes and high blood pressure also increases your chances of developing
other diabetes-related diseases, such as kidney disease, and retinopathy (eye blood vessels), which may cause blindness.
There is substantial overlap between diabetes and
hypertension, reflecting substantial overlap in their etiology and disease
mechanisms. Genetic structure, Obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance are
thought to be the common pathways. A prospective cohort study in the United
States reported that type 2 diabetes mellitus was almost 2.5 times as likely to
develop in subjects with hypertension as in subjects with normal blood
pressure.
There are
many minor lifestyle changes that can lower your blood pressure and blood
sugar. A brisk walk for 30 to 40 minutes every day, or any aerobic activity can
make your heart healthier. In addition to lowering blood pressure and blood
sugar, physical activity can strengthen the heart muscle and may reduce
arterial stiffness. You may need minor modifications in your diet like,
cutting out sugar salt, high-fat meats etc. You can take several servings of
vegetables, low-fat dairy products, leans meats and fish or meat substitutes,
fruits, whole (not processed) foods, whole-grain pastas, breads, and brown rice
etc. While some people can improve their type 2 diabetes and hypertension with
lifestyle changes, most require medication.
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