High Blood Pressure or hypertension has become one of the major problems of today’s society. For males, a reading of 120/80 is normal while females should have a slightly lower number.

When too much energy is being exerted by the heart in order to pump blood through the arteries, this is called hypertension or high blood pressure. The top number of 120 represents the systolic pressure. This is the amount of pressure in the arteries when the heart is in mid contraction. The bottom number of 80 is the diastolic pressure. This is the amount of pressure in the arteries while the heart is in rest.

The diastolic is usually considered the most important; as this is the pressure the arteries are under when at rest. In a person with high blood pressure, the heart has to pump the blood through the circulatory system with greater force, resulting in added strain on the entire cardiovascular system.

The exact cause of hypertension remains somewhat of a mystery. A few factors that contribute to high blood pressure include genetic predisposition, obesity, poor diet, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of stress management, excessive use of stimulants, drug abuse and high sodium intake. Another postulated cause of hypertension is narrowing of the blood vessels due to cholesterol and other fatty molecules. Other research indicates saturated fats, such as those found in red meat and butter are also factors. Further speculation holds that the true causes of heart disease and high blood pressure have more to do with unnatural fats such as margarine and heat-modified oils than to any naturally occurring food fat or oil.

Unfortunately, no research has yet been conducted on the affects of refined unsaturated oils verses unrefined cold pressed unsaturated oils. Refined oils are of a greater risk as they change during the high temperature of processing. In addition, hydrogenated oils like margarine are extremely bad for the body as they interfere with the body’s fatty acid metabolism. High blood pressure is the number one sign of fatty acid deficiency.

High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” because it does not display any signs or symptoms until it is in its advanced stage. By this time, it has already wreaked havoc on the body’s other organs causing irreversible and permanent damage.

Symptoms of advanced hypertension include dizziness, eye problems, rapid pulse, headache, nose bleeds, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and energy loss. More advanced cases will exhibit symptoms such as hypertensive heart disease with enlarged heart and possible left ventricular failure, myocardial infarction, possible senility, cerebral hemorrhage, paralysis and death.

A person with high blood pressure should be closely monitored by a physician and be checked at least every six months. Prolonged high blood pressure can result in damage to the kidneys with secondary conditions surfacing, such as end-stage renal failure, which requires weekly dialysis (blood filtering) treatments.