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Twenty years ago, the obesity rate for each state was under 15 percent. Today, 38 states have obe- sity rates over 25 percent.

usually average at least three blood pressure measurements taken at differ- ent times before making a diagnosis of hypertension. Measuring blood pressure in children and adolescents isn’t as straightfor- ward. “Normal” blood pressure in children varies according to height and age. Physicians also take into consideration the fact that children and teens express emotional extremes, which affects blood pressure. If blood pressure is only temporarily high, treatment is not needed. When blood pressure lev- els are consistently high, hypertension is the likely diagnosis, and treatment begins. How do physicians treat hypertension? The courses of action are usually the same for adults and kids: lose weight, normalize BMI, cut back on dietary fats and cholesterol, and get plenty of exercise. Doctors usually don’t initially prescribe medication unless the patient has significant hypertension (quite high) or organ damage. Weight loss, diet, and exercise are the preferred reg- imens. They successfully control most cases of hypertension. Why is lowering high blood pressure so important? Your heart beats an average of 100,000 times per day. If it’s beating with excessive force (as indi- cated by high blood pressure), it hammers away at your blood vessels with relentless pulses of extreme pressure. That’s 100,000 daily opportunities for high blood pressure to wreak its damage. No wonder it kills. Clearly, heart disease of any kind is dangerous, but in many cases it is also preventable. Thankfully, sometimes heart disease can even be reversed.

54 / Health Issues Caused by Obesity