February is American Heart Month. There has been a long debate in medicine about which organ is more important, the heart or the brain. I am not sure we have reached a conclusion, but your heart is a vital organ. Prolonged elevated blood pressure is one of the main factors contributing to heart disease (as well as kidney disease).

Your blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers. When either or both are elevated this is called hypertension. Your systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure) is a reflection of the pressure in your heart when the blood is returning to your heart. The Diastolic blood pressure (bottom number of your blood pressure reading) is a reflection of the pressure your heart is pushing against to get the blood out of your heart to the rest of your body.

• Normal blood pressure: systolic <120 mmHg and diastolic <80 mmHg
• Prehypertension: systolic 120 to 139 mmHg or diastolic 80 to 89 mmHg
• Stage 1 hypertension: systolic 140 to 159 mmHg or diastolic 90 to 99 mmHg
• Stage 2 hypertension: systolic ≥160 mmHg or diastolic ≥100 mmHg
• Isolated systolic hypertension: blood pressure of ≥140/<90 mmHg
• Isolated diastolic hypertension: blood pressure <140/≥90 mmHg

There are multiple factors that impact your blood pressure. Genetics, age, weight, stress and diet can all contribute to causing hypertension. Obviously, you cannot do anything about your genetics and aging. However, we know our blood pressure may go up with weight gain and it can go down with weight loss. Caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, spinach, canned soups, red meat and licorice can increase your blood pressure also. Alternatively foods like flax seed, dark chocolate, olive oil, beets, pistachio, broccoli, bananas, yogurt, white beans, red bell peppers, citrus, seafood, whole grains, and kiwi can lower your blood pressure. Many of the blood pressure lowering foods are high in Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium (Also known as the DASH diet).

Aside from diet, there are additional ways to decrease your blood pressure:

• Exercise and meditation
• Controlling stress and anxiety
• Treating any other illnesses you have that may impact blood pressure – such as diabetes.

In turn, your blood pressure can impact other organs. Elevated blood pressure can enlarge your heart, damage your blood vessels (which can, in turn, increase your blood pressure even more), affect your eyes and kidneys. Significant damage to these organs can lead to strokes, kidney failure and heart attacks.

So during American Heart Month, be kind to your heart. Focus on watching your diet, exercising and keeping your stress level down and you know you will have done all that you can to control your blood pressure. And in turn you will have one less risk factor for heart disease.