Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely has noticeable symptoms. But if untreated, it increases your risk of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

More than one in four adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many won't realise it.

The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is to have your blood pressure checked. 

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is recorded with two numbers. The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.

The diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels. They're both measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).

As a general guide:

• high blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
• ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg
• low blood pressure is considered to be 90/60mmHg or lower

A blood pressure reading between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg could mean you're at risk of developing high blood pressure if you don't take steps to keep your blood pressure under control.

Risks of high blood pressure

If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as:

• heart disease
• heart attacks
• strokes
• heart failure
• peripheral arterial disease
• aortic aneurysms
• kidney disease
• vascular dementia

If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these conditions.

Check your blood pressure

The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.

All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.

You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:

• at your GP surgery
• at some pharmacies
• as part of your NHS Health Check
• in some workplaces

You can get your blood pressure checked at your GP practice

You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.

Causes of high blood pressure

It's not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but certain things can increase your risk.

You're at an increased risk of high blood pressure if you:

• are over the age of 65
• are overweight or obese
• are of African or Caribbean descent
• have a relative with high blood pressure
• eat too much salt and don't eat enough fruit and vegetables
• don't do enough exercise
• drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• smoke
• don't get much sleep or have disturbed sleep

Making healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it's already high.

Reduce your blood pressure

The following lifestyle changes can help prevent and lower high blood pressure:

• reduce the amount of salt you eat and have a generally healthy diet
• cut back on alcohol if you drink too much
• lose weight if you're overweight
• exercise regularly
• cut down on caffeine
• stop smoking
• try to get at least six hours of sleep a night

Some people with high blood pressure may also need to take one or more medicines to stop their blood pressure getting too high.

Medicines for high blood pressure

If you're diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend taking one or more medicines to keep it under control.

These usually need to be taken once a day.

Common blood pressure medications include:

• ACE inhibitors – such as enalapril, lisinopril, perindopril and ramipril
• angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) – such as candesartan, irbesartan, losartan, valsartan and olmesartan
• calcium channel blockers – such as amlodipine, felodipine and nifedipine or diltiazem and verapamil.
• diuretics – such as indapamide and bendroflumethiazide
• beta-blockers – such as atenolol and bisoprolol
• alpha-blockers – such as doxazosin
• renin inhibitors – such as aliskiren
• other diuretics – such as amiloride and spironolactone

The medication recommended for you will depend on things like how high your blood pressure is and your age.

Sourcde:nhs.uk/Conditions/Blood-pressure-(high)/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Calories In Alcohol

Calories in alcohol*

Drink	Calories (kcal)	Food equivalent
A standard glass (175ml) of 12% wine	126kcal	1 Cadbury Heroes miniature bar
A pint of 5% strength beer	215kcal	1 packet of McCoy's salted crisps
A glass (50ml) of (17%) cream liqueur	118kcal	1 Milky Way bar
A standard bottle (330ml) of 5% alcopop	237kcal	3 Lees teacakes
A double measure (50ml) of 17.5% fortified wine	65kcal	1 Asda bourbon biscuit

Best Exercises for Women 40+

Once you hit your 40s, staying in shape can become more challenging. That's because as you mature, you'll need to address your diet and activity levels more specifically to maintain your best health.

In other words, the days of eating fast food or late-night high-sugar, high-carb meals are most likely over. One reason you'll need to say goodbye to high-calorie eating is that, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, your metabolism starts to slow about 5 percent per year after your 40th birthday.

For many women, this slowing metabolism registers as weight gain; with more weight often comes less energy and therefore difficulty motivating yourself to start (and stay) moving. And even with regular exercise, it can be tough to keep your weight in check. Your basal metabolic rate also declines with each decade of life, so fat-burning requires extra effort.

Face the ch-ch-changes

Your thyroid

The thyroid controls your metabolism. You are more likely to develop hypothyroidism (which can cause weight gain). Besides weight gain, your age starts to catch up with you in other ways in your 40s.

After 40, exercise routines that once challenged you with in your earlier years can become painful or difficult. You may start feeling the effects of age in your joints.

Nearing menopause

Menopause is just around the corner (the average age of menopause is about 51). While exercise hasn't been proven to help you better cope with the effects of menopause, experts at the Mayo Clinic say making fitness part of your daily routine can help you manage your weight as you near menopause.

Estrogen loss has also been linked to bone loss, making it important to support your bones with strength training. And as estrogen dips, there is often an accumulation of belly fat. That belly fat — sometimes jokingly called the "meno-pot" — can increase a woman's risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Changing fitness routines

Since excess weight can be a factor in several types of cancer and heart disease, it's worth it to stay active well past your 40s. Cartilage, tendons and ligaments become less elastic, which can cause increased pain and/or injury if you continue to perform high-impact activities such as long-distance running, basketball and aerobics.

However, that certainly does not mean that women in their 40s need to stop all high-impact activities or give up working out.

Good exercises to consider

Chiropractor Dr. Tamara Berger recommends the following fitness suggestions for women over 40:

1

Lift weights

Our muscles can start to shrink and weaken in our 30s. Using weights is an important way to keep our muscles strong and flexible.

2

Jump!

Bone density can also start to diminish as early as your mid-30s. To slow the clock don't be afraid to hop, jump, run, skip, squat or climb stairs.

3

Move fast (at least for a few seconds)

High-intensity training is a great way to stop the physical effects of the hands of time, and can be done safely at any age. Tabatas are short, high-intensity workouts where you combine max effort movements (run, bike, skips) with rest periods. A typical eight-minute tabata involves a 20-second all-out effort with a 10-second rest period.

4

Prevent injury

Strengthening your core (below the breast bone to just above the knees) protects your joints from injury. Core strengthening involves slow, complex movements that challenge multiple areas of the body.

5

Stretch

The 40s are a time to focus even more on staying flexible. Why? The need for flexibility increases as we age because muscles tighten, shorten and become more prone to injury. "Flexibility is the third pillar of fitness, next to cardiovascular conditioning and strength training," says David Geier, director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Flexibility can help your body reach its optimum fitness level, may play a role in injury prevention and, experts say, can even contribute to staving off arthritis and other serious illnesses.

The key to increasing flexibility is to hold stretches (no bouncing) for at least 10 to 15 seconds. Don't hold your breath; focus on relaxing the muscles you are stretching on each exhalation. Many experts recommend yoga or Pilates as good ways to incorporate stretching into your regular routines.

Overall, your 40s will definitely be a time of physical, mental and even spiritual changes, but you can also look forward to a transition toward deeper level of awareness, fitness and well-being.

Source:sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1019615/best-exercises-for-women-40-plus

Why Do We Gain Weight as We Age?

As we age, a decrease in our physical abilities leads to a decrease in our metabolic rate (amount of energy used in a given period), which in turn contributes to weight gain. The physiological changes that accompany increasing age affect the body's composition and cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) function, thus reducing our ability to work and exercise and lose weight. Genetics, muscle mass, gender, calorie consumption versus expenditure, and lifestyle are all factors in weight gain.

Changes Occurring with Age 

A decline in our physical abilities starts around age 30, continues throughout our life, and reaches a plateau between ages 60 and 70. After the plateau, a slower decline follows. The rate of decline varies with our individual level of fitness as well as our lifestyle. The speed at which our nerves conduct impulses declines approximately 15%, resulting in decreased reaction time and slowness in performing tasks. Maximum breathing capacity decreases approximately 40% during this period. Individuals with chronic lung disease, such as emphysema, suffer a more significant decline. Cardiovascular function declines approximately one half of one percent each year starting around age 30. It is no coincidence that many world-class and endurance athletes begin gradually leaving their sport after this age. There is a 40% to 50% reduction in muscle mass during this period with a similar decline in bone mass. There is a simultaneous increase in body fat in both men and women. The metabolic rate also declines with age. This decline is mostly affected by muscle mass. Regular exercise helps to preserve muscle mass, particularly muscle loading exercises such as weight training, walking, and physically challenging occupations.

Behaviors such as frequent dieting have been shown to affect the resting metabolic rate and your weight. Individuals who diet frequently have a significant decline in their basal metabolic rate. This decline is prolonged and sustained for several months and cannot be attributed to that expected from a loss in muscle mass or fat free mass. Periods of extreme starvation can produce as much as a 45% decline of the metabolic system. Studies have shown that calorie restriction in short-lived animal species not only causes a decrease in the basal metabolic rate but also an increase in lifespan. Studies are now underway to evaluate calorie restriction in humans and its effect on longevity.

Physical activity refers to body movements that result in the production of energy. The type, frequency, and duration of activity, as well as rate of progress, should be considered when choosing an exercise program. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the occurrence of some chronic diseases. There is a large body of evidence that the risk of death from disease is decreased in individuals who are physically active. The strongest evidence of this has been shown for coronary artery disease. There is moderate evidence that physical activity decreases the risk of hypertension, obesity, colon cancer, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, and osteoporosis. Physically active individuals have been shown to perform daily activities with less effort.

Source:hughston.com/hha/a_15_2_4.htm

Why fat people have a worse memory than thin people

Fat people have a worse memory than thin people, experts have found.

In a small study, tests showed being overweight was linked to worse “episodic memory” or the ability to recall past experiences.

Ann the research published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology says a less vivid memory of recent meals may lead to overeating.

However, other aspects of memory like general knowledge were unaffected by weight.

Fifty people with a Body Mass Index ranging from 18 (healthy) to 51 (very obese) took part in a memory test where they had to “hide” objects at different times and on different scenes displayed on a computer screen.

They were later asked to recall what they had hidden, when and where. The results revealed obese people’s scores were 15% lower than thinner people.

Dr Lucy Cheke, of the University of Cambridge , said: “The suggestion we’re making is that a higher BMI is having some reduction on the vividness of memory, but they’re not drawing blanks and having amnesia.

“But if they have a less strong memory of a recent meal, with a less strong impact in the mind, then they may have less ability to regulate how much they eat later on.”

Hunger hormones play a huge role in how much we eat, but it is believed our minds play a role too.

People watching TV while they have their dinner have been shown to eat more or feel hungrier sooner. And those with amnesia will have repeated meals in a short period of time.

Two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese.

Dr Cheke added: “It is too early to talk in terms of advice, but we are certainly beginning to observe the mechanisms that obesity perpetuates itself.

“Concentrating on your food has been a message for a long time, but that may be a bit harder if you’re overweight. Hopefully knowing what’s going on will help us to develop ways of helping people.”

Source:msn.com/en-gb/health/fitness/why-fat-people-have-a-worse-memory-than-thin-people/ar-BBq4OdM

Blackcurrants May Lower Diabetes Risk

'Antioxidants in the fruit affect how the body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars'

• Researchers carried out study at the University of Aberdeen
• Believe that antioxidants in the fruit affect how body breaks down carbs
• 'Reduce amount of sugar that ends up in the bloodstream after eating'

Can eating blackcurrants cut the risk of diabetes in people who are overweight?

That's the thinking behind a new clinical trial that is to be carried out at the University of Aberdeen.

The researchers believe that antioxidants in the fruit affect how the body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars, reducing the amount of sugar that ends up in the bloodstream after you have eaten a meal.

If blood sugar levels peak too high, this can put pressure on the pancreas and prevent the normal release of insulin.

Sixteen people will be asked to consume 200g of blackcurrants, or a 'placebo' dose of green currants that do not contain the antioxidants, with and without a carbohydrate meal - and their blood sugar levels will then be compared.

Drastic solution for sugar cravings

As well as cutting how much food is absorbed by the body, weight-loss surgery reduces sugar cravings, say U.S. researchers.

They compared brain activity in mice while they were offered sugary food - some of the mice had had bypass surgery, a technique used in obese patients to reduce stomach size and reroute food to the intestine to prevent it being absorbed.

The normal mice ate the food even if they'd just had a meal; the surgery mice didn't touch it - scans showed that their brains didn't release the chemical dopamine when looking at food, which would normally drive rewarding behaviour and make them eat.

The researchers say this finding could help develop drugs that interfere with brain signalling in the same way to reduce sugar cravings in obese patients without surgery.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3416438/Blackcurrants-lower-diabetes-risk-Antioxidants-fruit-affect-body-breaks-carbohydrates-sugars.html#ixzz3ySW7AJfU