Weight Loss & Diet Plans

Expert Q&A: Eating to Control High Blood Pressure

How does weight loss affect blood pressure?

For many people losing weight is enough to get their blood pressure down, because your heart doesn't have to work as hard. One of the easiest ways to lower your blood pressure is to lose 5 or 10 pounds.

For many people, that is the difference between having to be on medications for the rest of your life and getting off these drugs altogether.

My approach has always been if you address the underlying cause of the problem, the need for drugs and the need for surgery is often reduced or eliminated. For many people, this is a great motivator.