Make These 8 Changes If You Have Hypertension

Hypertension is a major health issue that increases the risk of heart disease and early death. Studies show that more than 30% of adults around the world are affected by hypertension, making it a top cause of preventable deaths globally. People with high blood pressure are at a greater risk of developing certain other concerning health conditions, but research has found that managing multiple health factors together can greatly lower these risks.

By controlling these factors, individuals with high blood pressure may reduce their chances of heart failure and even eliminate some of the extra risks associated with the condition. For a recent study, researchers wanted to further understand how managing multiple risk factors together could lower the chance of dying early for people with high blood pressure.

As a result, the researchers determined eight health factors that could help people with high blood pressure lower their risk of early death. The results were published in Precision Clinical Medicine—let’s unpack what they found.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Researchers evaluated data from the UK Biobank study, a large research project that collected health data from more than 500,000 adults aged 40 to 69. Participants provided information about their health and lifestyle through touchscreen questionnaires or interviews at 27 centers across the UK. 

For this specific analysis, researchers focused on people with high blood pressure (hypertension), which resulted in 70,898 individuals being included in the study. These participants were then carefully matched with 224,069 people without hypertension based on their age, gender, and the center they visited for the study. This matching process ensured the groups were similar, making it easier to compare and understand the effects of hypertension accurately.

This study looked at eight key health factors to see how well they were being managed. These factors included: 

• Blood pressure 
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Waist size
• Cholesterol levels
• Blood sugar
• Kidney health
• Smoking habits
• Physical activity 

Participants could have any number of factors under control, from zero to eight. The main focus of the study was to understand early deaths and what might contribute to them. The researchers looked at deaths from all causes, cancer, heart and blood vessel diseases (known as cardiovascular disease) and other causes that happened before the age of 80. To define “early death,” they followed previous research that uses 80 years as the cutoff age. 

What Did The Study Find?

Over a follow-up period of almost 14 years, researchers studied over 70,000 individuals with high blood pressure and recorded 6,466 early deaths. These included deaths from cancer, heart disease and other causes. They found that people with better control over key health risk factors, such as managing blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking, had a significantly lower chance of dying early. Specifically, the risk of dying early from cancer went down by 12%, from heart disease by 21%, and from other causes by 10%. People who managed seven or more risk factors effectively showed the most significant protection, lowering their risk of premature death by 40% for all causes, 39% for cancer, 53% for CVD, and 29% for other causes. 

The researchers found that as more health risk factors were well-managed, people with high blood pressure experienced an even lower chance of dying early from all causes, including cancer and heart disease, compared to those without high blood pressure. For those with high blood pressure who kept four or more risk factors under control, their risk of early death was similar to those without high blood pressure. Overall, better control of risk factors led to significant reductions in early death rates, with improvements ranging from 30% to over 100% for different causes of death.

It’s important to recognize a few limitations of this study. First, the researchers didn’t take into account any changes in risk factors that might have happened during the follow-up period. Second, even though they adjusted for many different factors, there’s still a chance that some unmeasured factors could have influenced results. Third, most of the participants were white Europeans, so more research is needed to see if the findings apply to people across other groups and identities. 

Also, because this study was observational, it’s hard to draw definitive conclusions about cause and effect. While the study points to potential associations, further experimental research is necessary to establish whether these relationships are truly causal or simply coincidental. Finally, the researchers weren’t able to include lifestyle factors in their analysis because of limited data and incomplete reporting by the participants.

How This Applies To Real Life

The findings of this research highlights how proactively managing multiple health factors may help reduce the risks associated with high blood pressure. If you are living with hypertension, this means that maintaining healthy habits such as controlling blood pressure, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight may drastically improve overall health outcomes. 

The study highlights that even small improvements across key health areas may collectively lower the risk of early death, offering a clear and actionable strategy for individuals aiming to manage their hypertension more effectively. Steps people with high blood pressure should consider taking, based on this study, include:

1. Monitor your blood pressure. Regularly check your blood pressure to ensure it stays within a healthy range, typically below 120/80 mmHg. Consider reducing sodium intake and managing stress levels to help keep it under control.
2. Aim for a healthy body weight. Though BMI is not a helpful metric for everyone, these researchers suggest trying to stay within a healthy weight range, which a healthcare provider can help you determine. Sticking with a healthy eating plan can help.
3. Try to keep a healthy waist circumference. Some research suggests using waist circumference—not BMI—as a way to gauge how much visceral fat you might be carrying. These researchers recommend a circumference of about 88 centimeters or less for women and 102 centimeters or less for men.
4. Eat plenty of heart-healthy foods. Those foods—like oats, nuts and fatty fish—can help you manage your cholesterol levels. We’d recommend you avoid excess saturated fat, too. And if you’re really concerned about your cholesterol, get support from a healthcare provider.
5. Keep an eye on your blood sugar. Foods like complex carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats can help keep your blood sugar at a healthy, stable level. Exercise and hydration can help, too.
6. Stay on top of your kidney health. Drink plenty of water daily, limit high-sodium foods and monitor your intake of over-the-counter medications, as excessive use may strain the kidneys.
7. Quit smoking. If you smoke, seek support to quit.
8. Stay physically active. Incorporate at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. To enhance muscle mass and overall fitness, try for a mix of strength training and cardio.

The Bottom Line

This study published in Precision Clinical Medicine underscores the effect that managing multiple health risk factors may have on reducing the risks associated with hypertension. By addressing areas such as blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and lifestyle habits, people with high blood pressure may significantly lower their risk of early death from various causes, including heart disease and cancer. Small, sustained improvements across these key factors can contribute to meaningful positive outcomes.

Ultimately, this research offers practical guidance if you are living with high blood pressure. By adopting healthier habits and working with healthcare providers to monitor and manage risk factors, you can take charge of their long-term health and well-being. While more research is needed to confirm causal relationships and explore these benefits across diverse populations, the evidence points to a clear and achievable path for improving health outcomes.