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Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health! Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with... read more

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension! Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness. And they take the... read more

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck,... read more

Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones!

Raised Levels Of Blood Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones! Many people suffer from raised levels of uric acids in... read more

Fatty Liver Disease Or Hepatic Steatosis

Kinds Of Fatty Liver Disease Or Hepatic Steatosis Obese people have a greater risk of developing hypertension, diabetes and heart... read more

Acute And Chronic Inflammation!

The Root Cause Of Diseases Like Diabetes, Heart Disease And Cancers! Everyone knows hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, arthritis and... read more

Choosing A Healthy Cooking Oil!

How To Choose A Healthy Cooking Oil! This is a delicate and controversial issue, involving complex scientific research which is... read more

Heart Health Poster Boy Olive Oil Vs Groundnut Oil!

Choosing Between Olive Oil And Groundnut Oil! Hit the internet to search for foods to fight inflammation and the chronic... read more


Timeline

March 2024

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

June 2023

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.


Grid

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland

Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.

It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.

The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.

Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.

The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.

It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.

***

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:

When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.

The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.

A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.

***

Hypothyroidism:

Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.

Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.

It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.

Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.

In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.

***

The diagnosis and the treatment:

Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.

A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.

Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.

Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.

Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.

That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.

***

The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.

Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.

The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.

It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.

You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.

And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.

The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.

Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.


Medium

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.


Large

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.


Large Alt

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Read more...

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.

Read more...

Full

Dangers Of Fast Food

Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health!

Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and salt, fats, cholesterol and trans fats and lack healthy nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

Most fast food may lack either complex carbohydrates or proteins or both.

Bakery products like cakes, pastries, biscuits, fried food like ‘wada’, ‘samosa’, ‘bhaji or pakoda’, french fries, fast foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizzas, snacks like chips, farsan, sweet delicacies like gulab jam, basundi, rabdi, jalebi, all kind of mithai including burfi, pedhas, chocolates and aerated sweetened soft drinks, sports energy drinks and alcohol are junk foods and drinks.

Sugar free mithai or sweets also are fast food, since they contain a lot of fat.

Also the sugar substitutes are also not harmless.

Processed and frozen meats like pork bacon, ham, salami, sausages and even chicken nuggets, salami, sausages also are examples of fast foods. They are high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats.

They are often also treated with sodium nitrite to prevent growth of microorganisms in them and improve their shelf life. Nitrates and nitrites are thought to be carcinogenic.

The internationally famous fried chicken and the equally famous chicken or tuna sandwiches, claiming to be healthy because they have lettuce, tomato and cucumber but loaded with mayonnaise and other such sauces too, are loaded with fat, calories, cholesterol and trans fats.

Thus these foods, very popular amongst young people, too are junk foods.

When buying such foods, please check the labels for fat and sugars. Labels like ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading as it generally means no sucrose, there could be other sugars used.

Labels like zero trans fats too could also be misleading. Most bakery products in India carry the no trans fatty acid labels. But we don’t know if there are any periodic checks on such products to verify the claims of the manufacturer.

The so called health drinks and foods like fruit juices, energy bars, muesli bars too are junk foods as they still contain a lot of  sugar or fats or both.

Over consumption of fast food high in salt, sugars, fats, cholesterol, trans fats and calories leads to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, strokes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and certain cancers.

So keep the consumption of fast food low or minimal and exercise regularly to burn off any extra calories consumed through the fast food and prevent weight gain and all the above diseases.

If you are looking to lose weight, keep their consumption low, if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia , hypertriglyceridemia and heart disease, avoid them as much as possible.

Also read the articles, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’, ‘How Much Salt Do I Need’, and ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Hypertension!

Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!

Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.

And they take the threat of the disease seriously.

But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.

And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.

So many people may not even know that they have the disease.

So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.

***

So What Is Hypertension?

Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.

It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.

Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.

Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.

The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.

The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.

As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:

Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.

Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.

Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.

Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.

***

Types Of Hypertension:

Primary Or Essential Hypertension:

A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.

In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.

Secondary Hypertension:

Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.

Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.

***

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:

Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.

Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.

That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.

***

Effects Of Hypertension:

Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.

This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.

It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.

Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.

Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.

It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.

***

Prevention Of Hypertension:

Hypertension is best prevented than treated.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.

Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.

Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.

Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.

Keep stress low.

Limit alcohol consumption.

Stop smoking.

***

Treatment Of Hypertension:

Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.

Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.

Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.

According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.

So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.