Obesity and Diabetes
Obesity is considered a major risk factor [11] for high blood pressure. Being overweight causes the heart to do more work in pumping blood throughout the body. This puts too much pressure on the arteries as blood flows through them. The arteries resist this increased pressure, helping to spike blood pressure levels.
Diabetes is a chronic condition marked by abnormally high glucose levels in the blood. Most people who have diabetes will go on to develop high blood pressure [12] and other circulatory conditions. This is because diabetes causes damages to the arteries, making them more likely to harden. This hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) raises the pressure of the blood and can lead to hypertension.