What Is Your BMI? It Is Now Linked To High Blood Pressure: Study; Tips To Reduce Your BMI

There are many factors which determine a person's blood pressure. From the kind of diet you take to the level of physical activity that you are involved in, blood pressure is quite multifactorial. Now, a new study has said that body mass index can also be a determining factor for blood pressure. ANI quoted George Linderman - First author and doctoral candidate at Yale - as saying that the enormous size of the dataset can enable researchers to scale the relationship between BMI and blood pressure in tens of thousands of subgroups. The same could not have been possible when done in a smaller study.

BMI can be an influencing factor on blood pressure
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: 6 Reasons Why Turmeric Is Good For High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure of the participants was recorded from September 2014 to June 2017. The study was conducted as part of the larger China Patient-Centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events (PEACE) Million Persons Project. Under the project, 22,000 subgroups have been made of people between the ages 35 to 80. Apart from their body mass index, they were also categorised on the basis of their ethnicity, geography, occupation, sex and other pertinent characteristics like if they are taking medicines for high blood pressure or not.

Obesity can increase risks of high blood pressure
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: High Blood Pressure: 5 Worst Things You Can Do

Another senior author of the study said that in case trends in overweight and obesity continue in China, the study's implication is that hypertension is going to be a cause of concern. The results of the study are merely indicative of the fact the all risk factors of hypertension, including body mass index, need to be taken care of.

Also read: The Best Expert Recommended Diet Tips To Manage High Blood Pressure

People with high blood pressure need to take care of their weight and diet at all times. Exercising regularly, cutting intake of salt and reducing weight in case you are obese is important to reduce risks of high blood pressure.

Here's how you can reduce your Body Mass Index in order to prevent risks of high blood pressure:

A person with BMI less than 18.5 is known to be underweight. A normal weight person is one whose BMI ranges between 18.5 to 24.9; you are overweight in case your BMI is between 25 to 29.9; and obese in case your BMI is 30 or greater than that.

In order to get your Body Mass Index towards normal, you can work towards gaining or losing weight as per your requirement. Make sure that your gain weight in a healthy way, and not go overboard with your sugar or fat consumption.

Exercising regularly can help in reducing risks of high blood pressure
Photo Credit: iStock

For losing weight in a healthy way, you need to eat a healthy diet and do a well-balanced mix of cardio and weight training exercises. Keep track of your BMI by measuring your weight regularly. Set short-term goals with specific targets which can achieve within a given timeframe, without compromising on your health. Once you begin losing weight, make sure you maintain consistency and continue achieving your goals one by one.