High blood pressure is when your blood pressure, the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Over time, this causes your blood vessels to lose their elasticity, restricting the amount of blood that flows through them. Restricting the supply of blood to your heart is particularly concerning because it can trigger a heart attack. This terrifying condition can be greatly reduced by cutting out sugar from your diet.
Blood pressure UK added: “Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain over time, which puts you at risk of high blood pressure.
“Sugary foods are high in calories, but often have few other nutrients, and can lead to a quick energy rush followed by a slump afterwards.
“This may cause you to feel sluggish and low in energy and can lead to cravings for more sugary foods, so that you eat too much and put on weight.
“There is strong evidence that sugars, which are digested and absorbed quickly by the body, can cause raised blood sugar and insulin levels which in the long-term may be harmful to your health, being linked to diabetes and heart disease.”
Signs of hypertension
The Mayo Clinic said: “Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.
“A few people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms aren’t specific and usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage.
“You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damage to blood vessels and your heart continues and can be detected.”
High blood pressure is often known as ‘the silent killer’, because symptoms only tend to reveal themselves if you have extremely high blood pressure.
The most common high blood pressure symptoms include a pounding in your chest, finding blood in your urine, and severe headaches.
It’s crucial that all adults over 40 years old check their blood pressure at least once every five years.
You can check your blood pressure by visiting your local doctors’ surgery or pharmacy.