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Weight Gain Causes High Blood Pressure

NexGen Health and Wellness

Slight weight gain is common among adults. Most people will agree that it is standard for their weight to bounce around 5 pounds. The problem is when that extra 5 pounds begins to stick around. Gaining just five pounds can have additional side effects beyond making your jeans feel tight since just 5 pounds can elevate your blood pressure. Dr. Somers of the American Heart Association says, “We can’t fall back on the assumption that ‘oh, it’s just 5 or 10 poundsUnfortunately, modest weight gain can increase blood pressure, even in a typically lean and healthy patient., it’s nothing.’ It may be nothing for the individual, but the larger health consequences will be significant.”  

One of the reasons it is essential to maintain or lose weight is that high blood pressure comes with weight gain and being overweight. Unfortunately, modest weight gain can increase blood pressure, even in a typically lean and healthy patient. Blood pressure rising is especially true if you gain weight in the belly area. Additional studies are needed to figure out why abdominal fat impacts blood pressure more, but researchers believe that abdominal fat metabolizes differently.  

Researchers do know that too much visceral fat, which is the fat that stores around the abdomen, can lead to abnormal compression of the kidneys or even a kidney injury that could progress to a more dangerous disease. These fat cell tissues secrete many hormones. The kidneys can disrupt the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (or RAAS), which are responsible for sodium (salt) balance. The kidney must maintain a higher blood pressure to excrete that daily intake of salt, but if your blood pressure is too high, this can cause an excess of strain on the kidneys and the heart, brain, and even the eyes. 

How to Lower Your Blood Pressure 

Persistent high blood pressure can lead to life-threatening health conditions, including heart disease, stroker, or a heart attack. About 75 million Americans have high blood pressure and over 70% of people in the United States are also overweight. Here are a few suggestions to lower your blood pressure. 

-Reduce Stress-find time for yoga or to meditate. Both are proven to reduce stress. 

-Exercise More-even if you start with only stretching and minimal impact walking, you can increase your exercise regimen overtime to get the blood pumping so you will begin to lose weight while exercising. 

-Change your diet- you may want to stick to a meal plan to hold yourself accountable. Add leafy greens and leave out sugars and greasy, fatty foods.  

Lose Weight- of course, the quickest way to lower blood pressure is by getting to a healthy weight. If you are looking for ways to manage blood pressure with diet, visit us at NexGen Health and Wellness.  

At NexGen Health and Wellness, our goal is to help you become the healthiest version of yourself. We have an assortment of products to help with weight loss, including Wegovy (which is an injection into the abdomen once per week to help lower blood sugar while our bodies pull from stored fat to use for energy), Phentermine (appetite suppressor), and so much more. We can help you monitor your blood pressure and set you up on a plan to keep you feeling good and looking good. We are a walk-in clinic, so visit us at 7424 US-64, Suite 118, or call us with any questions at (901) 244-6631.  

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