According to the statistics released by the Health Department, the population of hypertension in Taiwan reaches as high as 4.3 million people and researches reveal that the risks for patients of hypertension to heart disease, stroke and kidney disease are 1.9, 2.8 and 1.7 times higher than that of the healthy people, if their blood pressure stays fluctuated and cannot be well controlled. Hence, hypertension has become the disease which the publics should not overlook. To help the publics to get well control of blood pressure, the Health Department provided reminders of 7 steps to the publics.

Three Less and Two More for Diet

The principles of diet with less oil, less sugar, less salt more vegetables, and more fruits are highly recommended.  Diet with five different fruits/vegetables and increased fiber intake is also encouraged. Drink water instead of sweetened beverages and the attempt to cut down snacks, midnight snacks, or desserts are also beneficial to blood pressure and sugar control.   

Regular Exercises

Regular and persistent exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week is also helpful for better blood pressure control. Exercise in fragments of time such as walking to work or home, getting upstairs/downstairs, or doing housework is also helpful to achieve the exercise amount goal.

Smoke Cessation

The advantage of smoke cessation can be observed on the first day of cessation. Smokers will experience lower blood pressure while the heartbeat slows down to normal range in just 20 minutes after smoke cessation.  Nicotine and monoxide concentration will be halved in 8 hours of smoke cessation while the oxygen concentration returns to the normal value. Within 2 weeks to 3 months of smoke cessation, the risk of getting heart diseases starts to decline while pulmonary function also improves. Within one year after smoke cessation, the likelihood of suffering coronary artery disease are also reduced by half while the risk of stroke could be reduced to the level of nonsmokers in 5 years after smoke cessation.

Weight Control

Weight loss will effectively lower blood pressure. The Health Department constantly promotes healthy weight control plans to teach the publics with healthy lifestyle in “smart eating, happy exercise and weighing daily.” Call the 0800-367-100 (Lose weight by exercise) healthy weight management consultation hotline, and nutritionists and exercise professionals will be available to provide consulting services for free, from Monday to Saturday, 09:00A.M. to 21:00P.M. 

Cut Down on Drinking

Alcohol will make the blood pressure unstable and people with hypertension should control drinking. Male should not drink more than 2 alcoholic equivalent per day (drinks/day) and female should not drink more than 1 alcoholic equivalent (each alcoholic equivalent is  15 grams, approximately equal to  360ml of beer, 120 ~ 150 ml of red wine, and 30 ~ 40 ml of Brandy or other  spirits).

Regular Drug Administration

Patients already having hypertension shall seek for medical treatment and take drugs regularly. Irregular drug administration may cause blood pressure to rise sharply.

Check Blood Pressure Regularly

Checking blood pressure regularly is the basis to early discovery and control of hypertension. The Health Department calls for people aged 18 years or old to check blood pressure at least once a year and they should consult with a physician if the blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg in the hospital, or exceeds 130/80 mmHg at home. Patients of hypertension receiving treatment now should check and record blood pressure systematically, which will not only help the medical staff with understanding the blood pressure control condition of the patients but also shows the changes of lifestyle and control by hypertension drugs.