High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a common risk factor for people who are obese. The stress on the body caused by excess when limits the body’s ability to regulate glucose in the blood stream, which leads to excess insulin being released by the pancreas. Excess insulin causes a chain reaction: blood vessel walls become more rigid and cardiac output increases, driving up blood pressure. Excess insulin also induces the kidneys to reabsorb water and salt, and causes sensitivity to sodium.  

If you have ever taken your pulse or seen a vein on your arm or leg throb, you know that the blood vessels are always contracting and expanding. This flexibility is necessary to help out the heart. If the vessels are stressed, they pass that stress onto the heart by making it do more work, and that is where high blood pressure can get dangerous. Just like a car can’t redline for long, neither can your heart.

When you lose weight, that stress is removed. As the extra weight comes off, insulin levels drop and normalize. Vessel walls become more flexible, and the kidneys quit working overtime. Bariatric surgery can promote rapid weight loss, and eliminate the risks and symptoms associated with high blood pressure. You may also see insulin levels, cholesterol and other numbers drop as that excess weight comes off. These are signs that your body is beginning to regulate itself normally again, and may even mean that you can stop some of the medications you have been taking. As you continue to modify your eating habits and exercise regularly, you will find you new body can regulate itself without any help at all.

To learn more about how weight loss surgery in Decatur, TX, can help you manage your blood pressure and achieve better health, call Obesity Health Solutions toll-free at 866-980-8598.