How to Help Your Heart

So my colleagues believe that modest amounts of coconut oil in your diet are reasonable. Unsaturated fats like olive and corn oil are probably better ... and less expensive!

Seattle, Wash.: I am 50, female and have prehypertension. Without medication I consistently register a blood pressure of 124/88. I exercise three times a week. Would you recommend medication to lower my numbers further?

Until 2003, most people would not have thought twice about a blood pressure in your range, but that year guidelines from the National Institutes of Health introduced the term "prehypertension" for blood pressures of 120-139/80-89. People with prehypertension have about three times the risk of a heart attack compared with those with blood pressures lower than 120/80.

Despite this increased risk, most experts do not recommend medications for people with blood pressures like yours. Drugs have not been shown to be beneficial for patients with blood pressures in this range, and medications do carry some risks of side effects.

Instead, I would go all out with lifestyle steps to drop your blood pressure under that 120/80 target. It's great that you exercise three times per week, but the more the better. You should try to exercise most days for at least 30 minutes, and there is nothing wrong with working out every day, and for longer periods.

If you are heavy, losing weight will help. So will eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and controlling the amount of salt in your diet. You shouldn't have more than two alcoholic drinks per day if you are a man; one if you are a woman. Finally, if you are sore from all the exercise, be careful with pain relievers like ibuprofen and naprosyn. They can make you retain water and cause your blood pressure to go up!