The New Guidelines
The new high blood pressure guidelines were developed by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and nine other health professional organizations. They were presented on November 13, 2017 at the American Heart Association’s 2017 Scientific Sessions conference in Anaheim. Previous guidelines identified high blood pressure as ≥ 140/90 mm Hg. The new guidelines now define high blood pressure as anyone with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 80 mm Hg.
What Do The New Guidelines Mean?
The recent updates were made in order to detect high blood pressure early and promote healthy lifestyle changes. Here at Health Designs, encouraging healthy blood pressure has always been part of what we do – especially at our onsite screening opportunities – and the new guidelines haven’t changed that focus. It is always a great idea to aim for more vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based foods, while limiting processed foods, especially those higher in sodium. The DASH diet is still a great eating approach for anyone aiming for a healthy lifestyle, but especially for those working toward healthier blood pressure.
For more information, visit Heart.org. You can also click here to download the highlights of new high blood pressure guidelines.
