EIF - ENewsletter - April 2017

What’s silently killing black people? – high blood pressure
The Minority/Black Health Blog

About 75 million American adults (29 percent) have high blood pressure, or 1 in every 3 American adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. High blood pressure greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. It's called the "silent killer" because it has no symptoms, and it is the number-one killer of Black men and women in the U.S.

Because it is virtually symptomless, nearly 28 percent of Americans don’t even know they have high blood pressure. It is a subtle disease, which is why it is also so deadly. A person may not know if they have high blood pressure. But most can prevent it by doing these three things:

Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise regularly
Eat healthy

Those who have a family history of high blood pressure, may be at risk for the disease. But the good news is that it can be prevented. For people at high risk, there are foods you absolutely should never eat. Some of these foods are particularly high in sodium, which increases blood pressure. Others have a very high fat content, and some have both. They include:

Canned spaghetti sauce
Boxed cereals and microwavable side dishes
Canned/instant soup
Donuts
Frozen pizza
Red meat
Whole milk
Deli meat/hot dogs
Pickles
Chinese food (takeout)

These and other similar foods can have as much as 7,980 milligrams of salt, or three days’ worth of sodium in just one meal. Black men and women that wish to avoid an early death should immediately change their diet, which may require reducing and/or completely avoiding eating foods that are high in sodium and fat.

Emergency hypertensive crisis can result in severe complications, including fluid in the lungs, brain swelling or bleeding, a tear in the heart's main artery, stroke, or seizures for pregnant women with eclampsia.



What’s silently killing black people? – high blood pressure The Minority/Black Health Blog About 75 million American adults (29 percent) have high blood pressure, or 1 in every 3 American adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. High blood pressure greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. It's called the "silent killer" because it has no symptoms, and it is the number-one killer of Black men and women in the U.S. Because it is virtually symptomless, nearly 28 percent of Americans don’t even know they have high blood pressure. It is a subtle disease, which is why it is also so deadly. A person may not know if they have high blood pressure. But most can prevent it by doing these three things: Maintain a healthy weight Exercise regularly Eat healthy Those who have a family history of high blood pressure, may be at risk for the disease. But the good news is that it can be prevented. For people at high risk, there are foods you absolutely should never eat. Some of these foods are particularly high in sodium, which increases blood pressure. Others have a very high fat content, and some have both. They include: Canned spaghetti sauce Boxed cereals and microwavable side dishes Canned/instant soup Donuts Frozen pizza Red meat Whole milk Deli meat/hot dogs Pickles Chinese food (takeout) These and other similar foods can have as much as 7,980 milligrams of salt, or three days’ worth of sodium in just one meal. Black men and women that wish to avoid an early death should immediately change their diet, which may require reducing and/or completely avoiding eating foods that are high in sodium and fat. Emergency hypertensive crisis can result in severe complications, including fluid in the lungs, brain swelling or bleeding, a tear in the heart's main artery, stroke, or seizures for pregnant women with eclampsia.

Back to Newsletter