Know your health numbers
Correspondent | Thursday October 26, 2017 15:19
1. Blood Pressure
Normal target: 120/80 mm Hg
Why it matters; Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the wallls of blood vessels. If the pressure is high, the heart works harder and overtime. High blood can affect the normal function of the heart which can cause heart attack and stroke.
2. Blood cholesterol
Normal target: Less than 8mmol/l
Why it matters: The blood needs cholesterol to make important vitamins and hormones needed for its normal function. Too much cholesterol leads to lining of fat inside the blood vessels. This reduces or narrows the blood vessels which make it difficult for the blood to flow from and to the heart.
3. Blood Glucose
Random Blood Glucose (after eating)
Normal level: 4-11 mmol/1
Fasting Blood Glucose (before eating)
Less than 7mmol/1
Why it matters: When one eats food is broken down and changed to sugar so that the body is able to use it as energy. When this process is not working well, the sugar builds up in the blood resulting in Diabetes that can harm vital organs in the body such as brain, heart, eyes and kidneys.
4. Body Mass Index (BMI) Normal Target: 19 to 24.9
Why it matters: BMI is a weight against height calculation that will determine if one is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Excess body fat increases the risk for a wide range of health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea (dyingwhile sleeping).
5. Waist Circumsference
Normal: Less than 80 cm for women and less than 94 cm in men.
Why it matters: This is a measure of the waist size using a tape measure to determine the amount of fat around the waist. Excessive waist fat places one at greater risk of developing obesity related conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, High blood pressure and heart diseases.
Ways to prevent HIH Numbers
l Engage in physical activity for atleast 30 minutes, three days a week-such as walking, jogging, swimming, biking or dancing
l Eat a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables (5 servings per day)
l Reduce intake of salt, fat and sugar in your diets
l Quit smoking and do not start if not smoking
l Reduce alcohol use
l Adhere to treatment if you are already on one
NB: If you are 40 years or older, always do health screening for these vital health numbers and repeat this every three years if the numbers are normal and more frequent screening if not normal.
Ministry of Health and Wellness
Gaborone