Why Does a Bad Diet Affect Your Hypertension & Cholesterol?

Poor diet contributes to hypertension, also called high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels can lead to heart disease and possible heart attack. Eat a low-saturated-fat and low-sodium diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grain carbohydrates to improve hypertension and high cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Diet and Cholesterol

• Both people and animals produce cholesterol, a fatty substance, in their bodies. Cholesterol aids in the body's production of vitamin D and also serves other vital functions. When levels of cholesterol in the blood get too high, the cholesterol builds up on the walls of blood vessels and causes artery hardening. Over time, arteries that are hardened or clogged with cholesterol put a person at risk for heart attack or stroke.

  The human body produces all the cholesterol it needs. Since animals produce cholesterol too, animal products such as meat, fat, eggs and milk contain cholesterol. Eating those products introduces more cholesterol into the body. Different people produce and metabolize cholesterol at different rates. Since your body makes all the cholesterol you need, and some people's bodies make too much, adding cholesterol into the body from eating high cholesterol foods can raise your cholesterol levels.

Diet and Hypertension

• Blood pressure measures the force the blood uses as it travels through the blood vessels. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, indicates that the blood pumps through the body with too much force, causing too much wear and tear on the heart, brain, kidneys and other organs. Some people don't know they have hypertension, but high blood pressure damages organs and raises their risk for stroke if it's untreated.

  A diet high in sodium potentially raises blood pressure for some people because sodium, and element occurring naturally in salt and other foods, causes human systems to retain fluid. Salt also makes the body thirsty, increasing the amount of fluid in the body when a person drinks water to quench his thirst. More fluid in the body creates more pressure as the fluids, including blood, move through the person's system. Think of a river flowing gently at the right height, then rushing as it's flooded from additional rainfall. Too much fluid in the body acts the same way.

General Guidelines

• Scientists and doctors don't yet know all the reasons why poor diet contributes to high cholesterol and hypertension, but they know it does. Eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole-grain carbohydrates and lean meats. Avoid saturated fats. Eat fresh and frozen foods prepared in your own kitchen instead of processed foods and fast foods. Maintain a healthy weight and exercise moderately every day. These measures lower blood pressure and cholesterol in most people.