Diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and circulatory disease.

Diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and circulatory disease are all connected. A poor diet can lead to high cholesterol levels which increases the chance of circulatory disease, such as atherosclerosis.
There are two types of cholesterol: LDL which is the harmful one and HDL which is the protective one. A diet rich in saturated fat will increase the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. This means that it is more likely that fatty deposits will develop within the arteries, leading to circulatory problems such as atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis results in the narrowing of the arteries, this then causes more resistance to blood flow which in turn raises blood pressure, making the individual more prone to heart attacks and strokes.

The main contributing factors to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, apart from diet, are:
Lack of exercise
Obesity
Excess alcohol
Diabetes
Gender
Age
Genes

A poor high fat diet will increase cholesterol which in turn raises blood pressure and as a result will put you at a much higher risk of suffering from circulatory disease. On the other hand a balanced low fat diet can reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure thus, lowering the chances of suffering from circulatory disease.

References:
www.patient.co.uk/health/High-Blood-Pressure-(Hypertension).htm

www.bhf.org.uk/Keeping_your_heart_healthy/preventing_heart_disease/cholesterol.aspx