Hypertension is a common chronic health issue also referred to a high lood pressure. One in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means the force of blood pushing against their artery walls is too high, which can damage the arteries and greatly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure.
Lowering systolic blood pressure to a maximum of 120 mmHg has been shown to reduce these risks. There are two ways to accomplishing this: lifestyle changes and medications. While some people can lower blood pressure with lifestyle changes alone, the two approaches are complementary.