​New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Consumption of fast foods and lack of physical activity are making the youngsters more vulnerable to high blood pressure today, says a doctor who took part in the World Hypertension Day activities in the city.

Yashoda Super Specilaity Hospital Ghaziabad initiated the "BP check programme" throughout the National Capital Region on Tuesday. The progaramme saw the participation of over 3,000 people.

"What we found through this checkup was that youngsters are particularly vulnerable to high blood pressure,” Rajat Arora, senior cardiologist at Yashoda Hospital, said.

Experts have warned that hypertension is on the verge of becoming an "epidemic" and a third of India's population is likely to suffer from the disorder by 2020.

"The rise in high BP among youngsters is because of sedentary lifestyle and consumption of sodium-rich fast foods,” Arora said.

"There is a strong evidence that links our current high salt intake to high blood pressure," Arora noted.

The solution is simple -- reduce your intake and watch the numbers go down. The greatest contributor to cardiovascular diseases is hypertension, which the medical profession believes is a result of a high sodium diet.

In some people, sodium increases blood pressure because it results in excess fluid in the body, creating an added burden on the heart, Arora explained.

Most people participating in the programme requested the hospital staff to make the BP check programme a regular feature.​