You may be shocked (as I was) to read that nearly half the adults in the USA have some form of cardiovascular disease. The reason? Guidelines have changed for classifying high blood pressure.
At my recent physical exam, I was dismayed to be told that I have high blood pressure. How common is this condition?
As reported by Brett Molina in USA Today, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology in 2017 “updated its guidelines to define high blood pressure as a reading higher than 130/80, down from the original 140/90.
“According to the study from the American Heart Association, 121.5 million Americans, 
or about 48.5 percent, dealt with heart or blood vessel disease as of 2016. The study says that deaths from cardiovascular disease rose from more than 836,000 in 2015 to more than 840,000 in 2016.”
“When cases of high blood pressure are removed, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among Americans is 9 percent, or 24.3 million Americans.”
It is important that you take your new diagnosis seriously and follow your doctor’s advice in order to avoid a premature, preventable death. Chances are, the doctor’s advice will include…
EAT RIGHT, AND MOVE MORE TO BE WELL