A Brief Introduction to Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure

There is a very well-established link between metabolic problems that lead down the path toward diabetes and high blood pressure.  The metabolic issues lead to toxic glucose and fat levels and ultimately create damage to blood vessels.  That damage then manifests itself through high blood pressure by somewhat complicated mechanisms.  If you have a primary care doctor at all, you have likely had your blood pressure measured many times.  Some of our patients have blood pressure cuffs that they use at home as well.  This is a reliable way to measure blood pressure if you have a good cuff and we do encourage our patients to measure things this way. If your blood pressure is elevated, you may have already been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) and you may even be on medicines.  For our purposes, we need to look at the blood pressure to see if it is high enough to be a risk factor for metabolic problems or whether you have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure and take medicines for it.  If you notice that your blood pressure is high while doing this evaluation and you have not yet been treated with medicines for it.  You should discuss this with your physician right away. The table below shows normal and elevated values for blood pressure and all of the other elements of the body assessment. 

Element	Normal Range	Diagnostic Criteria
Body Mass Index	Normal: 18.5-25	Overweight 25-30
		Obese: > 30
Body Fat Percentage	Varies based on age/sex	See chart above
Waist Circumference	Men: < 37 Inches (Low)	Men: High Risk:  37-40 inches (94-102 cm)
		Men: Very High Risk:  > 40 inches (102 cm)
	Women: < 31.5 Inches	Women: High Risk: 31.5-34.6 inches (80-88 cm)
		Women: Very High Risk > 34.6 inches (88 cm)
Blood Pressure	Normal: < 120/80 mm hg	Elevated: 120-129/80 mm Hg
		Hypertension (stage 1): 130-139/80-89
		Hypertension (stage 2): > 140/90

Management of blood pressure is beyond the scope of the lifestyle experiment. If you find that yours is elevated, then contact your physician right away before proceeding with the experiment.