Why are men more likely to have high blood pressure than women?
The latest “Chinese Residents’ Nutrition and Health Survey” shows that the incidence of hypertension in Shenyang residents is 40% higher than the national average. The incidence is much higher in men than in women.
“Chinese National Nutrition and Health Survey”
Why is the incidence of hypertension higher in men than women in all regions? Let’s first look at the main causes of high blood pressure. There are many reasons for high blood pressure, and the top ones are:
1. High-salt diet. High dietary sodium intake is positively correlated with hypertension. Every 1 g of salt intake can increase systolic blood pressure by 2 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.7 mmHg. Surveys show that people over 50 years old and those with a family history of hypertension are more sensitive to salt.
2. Obesity. Weight gain of 12.5kg, systolic blood pressure increased by 10mmHg diastolic blood pressure increased by 7mmHg. Especially from the 20 to 40 years old obese people, the risk of developing high blood pressure is even greater.
3. Drinking alcohol. Recent studies at home and abroad have confirmed that ethanol is an independent risk factor for hypertension and stroke, and continuous drinking increases the risk of hypertension by 40% compared with non-drinkers.
4. Mental stress. Epidemiological studies have shown that occupational populations with mental stress and high work pressure have higher blood pressure.
Among the above-mentioned main pathogenic factors, men are indeed more likely to be injured than women.
Compared with women, men eat out several times more than women, and men are more likely to eat highly processed foods than women. Women are often alone They also cook and cook, while men are more likely to buy ready-made food for a meal. Eating out and eating processed foods results in meals that are much higher in salt, energy, and nutrient density than meals at home. Therefore, central obesity, which is more likely to be complicated by hypertension, arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, is also higher in men than women in China.
As for drinking, so far, many regions still retain the traditional consciousness of “mass of heroes”, and this custom has a great market among officials and senior intellectuals. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommends that adult men should drink no more than 25g of alcohol per day, which is equivalent to 750ml of beer, or 250ml of wine, or 75ml of 38° liquor, or 50ml of 50° liquor. The results of the 2002 Chinese Residents’ Nutrition and Health Survey showed that 33.1% of urban adult male drinkers and 36.1% of rural adult male drinkers consumed more than 25g of alcohol per day.
Men are also at high risk of mental stress. Men are not only the breadwinners of the family, but the competitive social environment also puts men to the test. At the same time, China has been advocating since ancient times that “a gentleman is sensitive to actions and eloquent to words”, “a man is beautiful when he speaks less”, and praised “never speak when there is suffering in the heart”. Men’s distress, grievance, depression, and sadness are often not vented and channeled, which also makes men a vulnerable group in terms of psychological health.
The above problems are more serious in men than in women, so it is not surprising that the incidence of hypertension in men is higher than in women. There is a strange circle in health education in China. The nutritional and health knowledge of people with high education level is not necessarily positively correlated with their education level. The most prominent example is the Zhongguancun phenomenon. There are also fewer men than women in the auditorium of the health program recording and in the nutrition training classroom, so it is also particularly important to vigorously promote the establishment of healthy living behaviors among men.
