The single most effective step people can take against hypertension is to find out whether they have it. At check-up time, a health-care professional can provide an accurate resting blood pressure reading. Under normal conditions, blood pressure fluctuates continously in response to a variety of factors including such things as talking or shifting position. Some people react emotionally to the procedure, which raises the blood pressure reading. For these reasons, if the resting blood pressure is above normal, the reading should be repeated before confirming the diagnosis of hypertension. Thereafter, the blood pressure should be checked regularly. In general, efforts to reduce high blood pressure focus on weight control, because excess body fat, especially abdominal fat, can precipitate hypertension. Indeed, weight loss alone is one of the most effective nondrug treatments for hypertension. Those who are using drugs to control their blood pressure can often reduce or discontinue the drugs if they lose weight. Even a modest loss of 5 kilograms may significantly lower blood pressure.