What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure (BP) is a measurement of the force your blood puts on blood vessel walls as it travels through your body.

Blood pressure varies throughout the day to meet your body’s needs and most people cannot feel when it is high. High blood pressure is sometimes called the “silent killer” because sufferers can have high blood pressure and show no warning signs.

Therefore the only way to know your numbers is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If your reading is high, your doctor may measure your blood pressure on a number of occasions or you may be asked to monitor your blood pressure at home.

Consequences of high blood pressure

• Chronic high blood pressure leads to a number of complications including stroke and heart attack.

• High blood pressure puts unnecessary stress on blood vessel walls which may weaken them leading to a bleed in the brain.

• High blood pressure can cause blood clots or cholesterol plaques to break off artery walls and block a brain artery causing a stroke.

Tips for lowering your blood pressure

Find a free blood pressure check near you

The lower your blood pressure, the lower your risk of stroke.

Getting across to men just how bad salt is for their health is the focus of a debate being hosted by The George Institute for Global Health in Sydney today as part of World Salt Awareness Week.

Whilst the adverse affects of high blood pressure on men’s sex lives is clear, the direct link between salt and sex is yet to be proven. There is, however, a huge body of evidence showing that salt is the main cause of high blood pressure which kills thousands of Australian men each year - mostly through premature strokes, heart attacks and heart failure. Excess salt is also implicated in a range of other serious illnesses including stomach cancer, kidney disease, osteoporosis and asthma.

Professor Bruce Neal, Senior Director at The George Institute and Chairman of the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) will open the event by presenting the findings of new research on salt levels in foods commonly eaten by Australian men. New salt targets for the food industry will also be launched on the day. Said Prof Neal, “Whilst we won’t present definitive new evidence linking salt and sex, we are serious about getting the salt message across to men. Men die younger and need to drastically reduce the amount of salt they eat.  But the food industry needs to play its part too.”

He added, “Our latest work reveals the shockingly high levels of salt that are hidden in the processed foods and meals that men are eating every day. Whilst many companies have been reducing salt levels in foods, and the government’s Food and Health Dialogue has set salt targets for bread and breakfast cereals, a greater effort is needed to ensure salt intakes in Australia can be reduced much more quickly. That’s why we have today announced 85 new salt targets for foods.  This will give industry the direction they have been asking for. We will be working closely with companies to help them reduce salt in line with these interim targets in support of ongoing Food and Health Dialogue discussions.

Around 100 delegates will attend the debate which will be chaired by Dr Stan Goldstein Chief Medical Advisor of Bupa Australia. Panel members will include Andrew Giles from the Garvan Research Foundation, Daniel Williams from Men’s Health Magazine, Sue Radd from the Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic and Jodie McHenery from the Dietitians Association of Australia.

Said Dr Goldstein, “Bupa Australia communicates crucial health information to the public and to its members every day.  Young men (and women) are eating too much salt, developing habits that can unknowingly hit them hard over time - there is clear evidence that this is resulting in premature death and disease.  Getting the message across, especially to men, that they need to reduce their salt intake should be a priority for government and health organisations.”

World Salt Awareness Week runs from March 21st – 27th this year and the theme is Salt and Men’s Health. Other events being organised by AWASH as part of the week include a low salt cooking class and the launch of a new project to assess salt intake in Lithgow, New South Wales. A range of informative materials are also available.

For more on Drop the Salt campaign and AWASH click here.