Hypertension In Young Adults

Recently in Nigeria, autopsy reports revealed that the late Goldie died as a result of HYPERTENSION. Prior to this, my boo had just been diagnosed as well with having high blood pressure. In his case I was so worried, for the fact that he is young and should not be having increased blood pressure. We thank God, that’s over now.

The rate at which young people all over the world are being diagnosed with high blood pressure is alarming. I just thought it right to educate everybody that this article can reach on the symptoms, causes and treatment for high blood pressure.

I hope this article provides insight in any way, also please feel free to add to whatever might be missing.

Thanks guys! And yeah I'm back to blogging!! Whoop!!

What exactly is HYPERTENSION?

Hypertension is such a silent disease that you can be walking around with a blood pressure reading of 180/100mmHg and not be aware of what is going on internally. If you have a blood pressure reading of 120/80, 120(the figure above) represents the systolic pressure which is the pressure of blood hitting the artery walls when the heart beats. Eighty (the figure below) represents the diastolic pressure which is the pressure between heartbeats.

The normal blood pressure rate is less than 120/80mmHg, so hypertension is when either the systolic measurement is 140 or higher or the diastolic measurement is 90 or higher. There are basically two types of hypertension: Essential and Secondary Hypertension

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) guidelines categorize hypertension as follows:

• Normal. Less than 120/80
• Prehypertension. 120-139/80-89
• Hypertension. 140/90
• Stage 2 hypertension. 160/100

What causes HYPERTENSION?

The cause of Essential Hypertension is unknown (Yeah!! No known cause). Although lifestyle factors such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and excessive alcohol or salt intake contribute to the condition.

Secondary Hypertension in most cases is as a result of an underlying kidney disease, hormonal imbalance, and drug intake

According to the JNC 7, half the adult population is prehypertensive or hypertensive, and because blood pressure increases with age, most people will become hypertensive if they live long enough

Daniel Lackland, DrPH of the American Society of Hypertension says “Younger adults with high blood pressure typically have high diastolic pressure while older adults have high systolic pressure”.  In young adults, the diastolic pressure rises because the heart is pumping harder while in older adults, the systolic pressure rises and stiffens arteries. Hypertension in young adults is caused by increased body mass, with an increase in African-American men, but it affects men of all races."

Signs &Symptoms

In most cases, hypertension doesn't give signs or signals the affected individual. It is usually discovered during a routine health screening. Below are some of the signs of Hypertension:

·         Headaches (usually at the back of the head     and noticed in morning)
·         Light-headedness
·         Vertigo(the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning)
·         Tinnitus (buzzing sound in the ears)
·         Altered Vision
·         Fainting Spells



What can be done?

For young people in the pre-hypertensive stage and hypertensive stages, modification of lifestyle activities plays a major role in bringing down the blood pressure.

Worry Less!! Manage Emotions!!

Let’s be honest, has worrying ever changed a situation for the better?? No it has not. Manage emotions such as anger, worry, rage, annoyance as they have been linked to causing physical and biological changes.

Weight reduction

 A Body Mass Index (BMI) of above 24.9 should be cause of worry in any young adult whether male or female. It is advised to maintain a normal body weight with a target (BMI) of 18.5 to 24.9. According to JNC7, for every 10kiliogrammes of weight lost, the systolic blood pressure reduces by approximately 5-20.

Adjust your Diet

 Ensure your diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products with a reduction in saturated and total fat. When this is done, the systolic blood pressure is expected to reduce by 8-14 points.

Reduce your salt intake

Salt is an essential mineral that a body needs to stay hydrated. Ingestion of salt is usually followed by water retention which is the body’s way of staying hydrated. With the consumption of ‘too much salt’ the body is likely to become over-hydrated as a result of excess fluid in the body. The excess fluid causes the kidney to work extra to remove this fluid. 

Excess body fluid also causes an increase in blood volume which requires the heart to work harder to move all that blood around, thus blood pressure goes up. 

Reduction in daily salt intake to less that 2.4g/1 teaspoon per day would reduce the systolic blood pressure by 2-8 points approximately.

Engage in Aerobic Activity

Engage in regular physical activity, such as brisk walking, at least 30 minutes per day most days of the week. This can decrease systolic blood pressure by 4-9 points.

Reduce/ Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Limiting the amount of alcohol to between 11 and 14 grams of alcohol is expected to result in a reduction in systolic blood pressure by 2-4 points.

Without treatment, a man at [age] 30 could be facing end-stage renal disease, stroke, or heart attack."

Some Risk Associated with Hypertension

Young adults with hypertension often have what's called "Metabolic Syndrome" which is known to contribute to heart disease and diabetes. It includes a cluster of risk factors found in an individual and include excess body fat (especially around the waist and chest), high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Snoring has also been linked to high blood pressure in young adults. Erectile dysfunction has also been linked to complications of untreated high blood pressure.

Source: Wikipedia, WebMD, Yahoo Health
Photo Credit:Google Images

5 Tips for Getting in Shape on a Budget

By Gunter Jamemson- Guest Blogger


When you look good, you feel good about yourself; you have more self-confidence and feel like you can take on anything. Everyone wants to feel that way, but not everyone can afford a gym membership—much less a personal trainer. And what about expensive home exercise machines? Forget it. Although all that stuff is nice, you don’t need it to get in shape. Spinning classes at your local gym might help motivate you to work out, but you can get in shape yourself, if you are determined and have the right attitude. Getting in shape doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are some ways you can get in shape without spending big bucks:

1) Run:
Running is one of the very best ways to lose weight fast and keep it off, and it doesn’t cost you a cent. You can run around your neighborhood or on local trails. You can even use free websites like MapMyRun.com and DailyMile.com to map and measure running routes and track your progress over time. You might need some running shoes if you don’t already have some, but most $40 pairs are just a good as $120 running shoes.

2) Buy equipment at a second-hand store:
When was the last time you were at a second-hand or goodwill store? Have you seen all the exercise equipment people get rid of? There’s tons of it, and it’s all really cheap. From large exercise machines to hand weights, get it used at your local second-hand store.

3) Use household items:
If you don’t want to buy weights, you can make some yourself using cans of food for hand weights or jugs of water for heavier weights. You can even use these tips for creating your own weights at home using sand, cans, tennis balls, and more.

4) Play or organize community sports:
City or community sports leagues are usually pretty inexpensive and you can meet new people and make friends by joining. Or you can organize your own regular sports games with a group of friends or families. Playing all-ages kickball with a bunch of families on your block can be just as fun as hitting a few balls around at the baseball diamond with a league.

5) Get free info online:
Stop subscribing to fitness magazines and buying expensive shakes and diet programs. You can get great fitness advice online for free from a number of different sources. And with fitness advice, you can get a lot of free advice on diet and healthy eating programs that can help you replace energy drinks and store-bought protein shakes with cheaper, healthier homemade options.

Getting in shape can be hard. It requires determination and consistency. But it doesn’t require a lot of money—if you do it right. You can get in shape using free resources and items that you already have around the house. And when you get in shape, you’ll be even happier knowing that you did it without having to pay an arm and a leg for a gym membership.


Gunter Jameson writes about several topics including travel, minimalism and Online Classes

The Naked Truth about Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is all the buzz at the moment. You’ve seen it spoken about in Quest and know that if you reduce it by 1% you go into the final draw, but so what? What’s the big deal? It must mean that it’s good for you to lose body fat, and yes, anyone who thinks they are "fat" wants to lose fat, but is this necessary? And what about the "skinny-malinks" – should body fat percentage even be an issue?

A whole lot of questions, I know, but I’m sure many of you have had these thoughts running through your head. This might even be the closest some of you have come to exercise. Hopefully, the following description will help to change your thoughts on physical activity…

Allow me to give you a more vivid picture of body fat percentage. If you weigh 70kg and your body fat percentage is 30%, this means that your fat makes up 21kg of your total weight. Aaaahhhhh! If you consider that body fat is similar to a block of margarine, then picture 21 one kg blocks of marge distributed throughout your body; not just under the skin but around your organs and amongst your muscles as well. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Get the picture? Much easier to understand how body fat percentage can be such a problem to your health, isn’t it?

Looking at the "skinny-malinks" – if a skinny person does no exercise, he/she won’t have much muscle which means that these blocks of marge can easily take up 30% of their body mass. Don’t be fooled by appearance. This is definitely possible.

So how do we reduce the problem? Exercise and healthy eating habits are your best options. Firstly, you need to try and increase your muscle mass. Don’t worry ladies, this won’t make you "bulk up". Increasing your muscle mass helps to boost your metabolism and in turn, burn more fat. On the nutrition side of things, you need to eat a balanced, healthy diet but at the same time, you need to consider the energy equation (energy in = energy out). If the amount of energy you burn off during the day is greater than the energy you take in from food and drink, you’ll lose weight. Doing both of these things will help to reduce your body fat percentage.

Body fat percentage does play an important role in the body and it is possible to have too little body fat percentage. The problem arises when your body fat percentage is too great. The reality is that large percentages of body fat can put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes, amongst others. Quite a realisation, isn’t it? Well, there is something you can do about it.

Written by Stephanie Goedhals