According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 60 million people in the United States are hypertensive. Although no single risk factor is responsible for the development of hypertension, some of the many risk factors can be controlled, and some cannot. Controllable risk factors include weight gain, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, emotional stress, physical tension, sodium sensitivity, alcohol abuse, and use of oral contraceptives. Uncontrollable risk factors include family history, gender, age and race.