I am pretty sure that this question has straight up factual answer, but should a mod feel that it is more of a matter opinion, please move it with my apologies.
The deal is this: I am a youngish guy (35) who has just discovered that he has both high blood pressure and cholesterol. My thinking is that I want to attack this problem aggressively, as it will never be easier and I will never have as much lead time as I do now.
My thinking is that I should behave as if I have already had a heart attack, and do the things that folks who have had them do. I know the obvious (no tobacco, salt, fat, more exercise). Are there any other things that I can do to correct this problem rapidly?
First, see you doctor. He/she can test to see if there is damage that needs to be addressed. Assuming there isn’t, he/she can advise therapies, like drugs, that can deal with both of these issues. You may have to drastically change your lifestyle, you may not.
Actually, it was at the doctors that I discovered this (long overdue checkup). Basically, his deal was that I should not eat salt, drop a few pounds and come back in a month to follow up. I would rather take a more aggressive stance on this, and really want to avoid medications.
First of all, I’m not a doctor, and of course I know you’re following the advice of one. Sometimes diet and exercise is aggressive as you need to be. The meds are not for everyone; some have side effects.
My husband dropped his cholesterol levels drastically, and I mean really drastically, with just better diet and more exercise. Another thing you may want to ask your MD about is triglycerides. Some cardiologists say that these may be even more important than cholesterol levels.
Without medicines, diet and exercise are the best “prescriptions.” That sounds simple, but it is not. It means you exercise regularly, stick to it and, likely, DRASTICALLY change your diet. Lots of lean chicken and fish instead of red meat, no fats, no candy bars, no fast food, etc. Basically lean non-red meat, lots of fruits and vegetables and drinks as much water as possible instead of soft drinks.
Beyond that, consider two things. Again, I am no expert on the heart, so this is not meant as formal medical advice. However, consider one glass of wine a day, preferably red wine. Good wine, not the cheap stuff (don't ask me which ones, though....I wouln't know the difference). There is some evidence this is cardioprotective. ANd ONE glass a day only is it. More than that, its harmful in the long run to other organs especially the liver.
Second, consider a baby aspirin a day as long as you have no history of ulcers or other allergies or contraindications to them. I don't think its ever been proven effective as "primary prevention" of heart disease (i.e. preventing a FIRST heart attack), but it certainly is effective at preventing recurrent strokes and heart attacks. Again, though, there is little scientific proof probably that anyone in your situation would do this.
My BP and cholesterol are fine, but when I turned 30 in April I started myself on one aspirin a day, a cholesterol medicine and I exercise five days a weak.