The World Health Organization recently urged the medical community to strengthen efforts to prevent and control high blood pressure. World Health Organization officials say one-third of people over the age of 25 have the condition. Yet many of them do not know they have it.

With high blood pressure, the heart must pump harder. That weakens the heart muscle and can lead to heart attack or heart failure. There is no identifiable cause for 95 percent of those with high blood pressure, but there are clues. With age, blood vessels can become harder. Genetics also has an influence, as does family history.

Being overweight can also cause blood pressure to rise. Stephen Havas says so can smoking and eating food that contains a lot of salt.

“When I ask people about salt in their diet, they usually say they don’t add salt. That’s a good thing. But, you should also remember that most salt or sodium comes from processed foods.”

The human body needs only 150 milligrams of salt a day. But most Americans take in between three thousand and four thousand milligrams a day!

“The deaths attributed to excess salt consumption represent a huge toll – the equivalent of a jumbo jet with more than 400 adults crashing every day of the year, year after year.”

Doctors say a good diet can help control high blood pressure. Losing weight and not smoking also can help to control hypertension. Finally, experts say regular medical visits are the best protection against this silent killer.