Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, this is a good opportunity to address a question that comes up about the link between high blood pressure and diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes. Are high blood pressure and diabetes related? 

The answer is yes. A person with type 2 diabetes is twice as likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure as a person without type 2 diabetes. A person with high blood pressure is at a higher risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (in fact, in one study it was between 50% and 70% more likely). 

High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes share many disease pathways such as obesity, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. Because the two are so often closely linked, it may be that there are shared genetic or environmental risk factors. At this point, researchers do not know whether having one disease causes the other disease, or whether a person with one is more at risk for the other due to those genetic or environmental factors. 

High blood pressure is often called the silent killer, because unless you are regularly monitoring your blood pressure, there are no outward symptoms. If your blood pressure is very high, you may experience headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision. Because these symptoms can also indicate other serious medical conditions it is important to seek care if you experience them. 

Blood pressure is the force exerted against the artery walls as the heart pumps blood through the body. When a health professional takes your blood pressure, they are recording the force that blood is moving through the arteries when the heart pumps (systolic blood pressure) and also the force that the blood is moving through the arteries when the heart rests between beats (diastolic blood pressure). These pairs of numbers indicate whether you have high blood pressure.

• Healthy blood pressure: below 120/80

• Early high blood pressure: between 120/80 and 140/90

• High blood pressure: 140/90 or higher

If you have high blood pressure, your heart and your arteries are working much harder and you are at a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. 

The good news is that the same healthy lifestyle choices that offer protection against developing type 2 diabetes also offer protection against high blood pressure. 

• First and foremost, get moving. Moving your body every day is one of the best things you can do to avoid both diseases. 

• Second, eat real, nutrient dense foods. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats will fuel your body in the healthiest way. 

• Third, reduce your salt intake. Read labels for sodium. Avoid canned and processed foods and opt for fresh instead. Use spices and herbs to flavor your food instead of table salt.

• Fourth, limit your alcohol.

• Fifth, do not smoke.

• And sixth, if you have been prescribed medication to help control your blood pressure, take your medication and do not stop without the advice of your healthcare provider. 

Your chiropractor is invested in your long term well-being and can offer advice and support for these lifestyle changes, as well as keep your body in alignment to encourage you to keep moving every day.