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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is very common - one in four adults suffer from it. It usually occurs as we get older and the walls of our blood vessels lose some of their elasticity and become rigid. Several aspects of your lifestyle, including diet, can cause this to happen more quickly.

Untreated hypertension increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke as well as kidney and eye damage.

The good news is that simple changes to your diet can be a very effective part of treatment.

Should I cut down on salt?

Yes. This can help reduce your blood pressure so it's well worth doing. Reducing the amount of salt (or sodium chloride) you add at the table and in cooking, perhaps making more use of herbs and spices, is a start. It doesn't take long before you barely notice it's missing and can enjoy the real

flavour of your food. Some people like to use a salt substitute, made from potassium chloride, where a dish really needs it. However this doesn't allow us to get used to eating meals with a less salty taste. Three quarters of the salt we eat is hidden in manufactured foods, ready meals and takeaways, so it will help if you eat less of these. If you are unable to cook from fresh, check the label for lower salt varieties when you do need to use them. As a guideline, less than 0.25g salt (or 0.1g sodium) per 100g of food is 'a little' and over 1.25g salt (or 0.5g sodium) per 100g is 'a lot'.

What about alcohol?

A moderate intake of alcohol can help protect your heart, but too much will increase your blood pressure. If you have hypertension you should keep to a maximum of 2-3 units per day for a man  for a woman (lower if advised by your doctor). A unit is half a pint of normal strength beer, a small (100ml) glass of wine or a pub measure of spirits (25ml).

Is losing weight beneficial?

There is a strong link between high blood pressure and being overweight. This is especially true if the weight is carried centrally i.e. around your waist. Losing weight - even as little as 5-10% of your starting weight - will help. Slow, steady weight loss of 1-2 lbs (0.5-1kg) can be achieved on a calorie-controlled diet combined with regular physical activity.

Can other dietary factors help?

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study showed that eating a low-fat diet, rich in essential minerals or antioxidants, helps to lower blood pressure. The most useful dietary approaches were as follows:

􀂄 Fruit and vegetables - aim to eat at least five portions per day. Fresh, frozen, dried, juiced and canned all count. If you are using canned vegetables, look for lower salt varieties.

􀂄 Low-fat options of dairy foods such as semi skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurts and low-fat cheese. Include 2-3 servings per day.

􀂄 Wholegrains including breakfast cereals, brown pasta and wholegrain bread. Aim for 2-3 servings per day

􀂄 Oily fish. Include at least 1-2 portions of these dark-fleshed fish per week. Examples include salmon, pilchards, sardines, mackerel, herring and trout. Fresh, frozen or canned are all good, but avoid fish canned in brine.

Could a "functional food" help?

Functional foods are those which have specific health-promoting and / or disease preventing properties, sometimes owing to the presence of a particular 'functional' ingredient. Examples are mini drinks containing AmealPeptidesâ„¢, a special form of dairy protein. These have been shown to help lower blood pressure, but only as part of, not instead of, a healthy diet and lifestyle.

What about other lifestyle factors?

􀂄 Being physically active is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your blood

pressure. Brisk walking, cycling or gardening are good. Try to build them into your lifestyle aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most days of the week. This can be broken up into segments of 10 -15 minutes. Check first with your doctor if you have heart problems or are new to exercise.

􀂄 Drinking a lot of caffeine and being under stress can raise blood pressure, but this is only temporary. Nevertheless cutting down on coffee, tea and cola drinks and using relaxation techniques such as meditation can help to avoid these short-term increases.

Changing your lifestyle in this way can help to achieve a significant drop in your blood pressure

levels, whether or not you are taking tablets. The effects can often be seen quite quickly - usually

within weeks of starting.