Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.
During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead
Why Listen?
- Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
- Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
- Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
- Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.
Transcript
Welcome, and here we are at Day 11. Well done for getting this far, and thanks for tuning in.
We're talking sugars and processed foods today—specifically, the traps that can catch us out in that regard, particularly when it comes to our blood pressure.
Often, we only think about salt when it comes to blood pressure. And while there's no question that salt is important—we’ve already covered it—sugars are equally important and often sneak into processed foods left, right, and center.
So many processed foods are double-loaded with sugar and salt, and that double hit is not good for your blood pressure. We’ve already touched on the salt component, but sugars play a significant role too. They can contribute to weight gain because they stimulate insulin. Over time, with repeated exposure, this can lead to insulin resistance. That’s when the body just doesn’t process sugar as efficiently.
The problem with that? It pushes up your blood pressure and alters your cholesterol profile. That’s not good in the long term.
And it’s not just the obviously sweet foods you have to be wary of. Added sugars are often hidden in things like sauces, breakfast cereals, flavored yoghurt, smoothies, energy bars, and salad dressings. Imagine trying to have a healthy salad, only to drizzle on a manufactured dressing filled with sugar!
So what’s the advice?
Be aware. Read the labels. It really is valuable and informative—you might be surprised.
Check the ingredients list and look out for terms like syrup, malt, cane juice, and anything ending in “-ose” (like dextrose, sucrose, glucose). These are all forms of sugar. You’ll also often see salt listed—so bring your attention to that as well.
Try to replace processed and manufactured foods with things you can make from your own cupboard or pantry. Making that switch can make a big difference over the long term.
Tomorrow, I’m going to be talking about weight—a consequence of too much sugar, too much fat, too much oil, and too many processed foods—and how weight interacts with blood pressure.
So I look forward to speaking with you then. Until then, I hope you live as well as possible, for as long as possible.
Take care, and bye for now.
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