High blood pressure is the most common cause of death worldwide. The
goal of treatment should be lowering blood pressure to reduce the risk of heart disease
and to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Hypertension is treated with drugs and
in addition the person's lifestyle and nutrition should be paid attention. Lifestyle
changes are needed to control LDL-cholesterol, lipids and BP which are the
cardiovascular risk factors. Lifestyle changes; nutrition recommendations involving the
control of salt intake and weight loss, regular physical activity, avoiding
alcohol/cigarette consumption, etc. are summarized in this chapter. It was shown that
with DASH diet, which recommends reducing saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol,
and increasing consumption of low-fat dairy products with vegetables and fruits, BP is
reduced. Sodium, sugar, sugary drinks, fats and ready to eat meat are less involved in
the DASH diet.
Keywords: Alcohol consumption, Blood pressure, Cardiovascular diseases,
Calcium, Cholesterol, Diet, Exercise, Fruits, Hypertension, Lifestyle
management, Nutrition, Sodium intake, Salt-sensitive hypertensive, Salt-resistant
hypertension, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Weight loss, DASH diet,
Vegetables.
