Harvard freshman with pre-hypertension had higher risk in later life.

Men enrolling at Harvard between 1914 and 1952 who reported elevated systolic blood pressure their freshman year experienced a 20% greater risk for coronary heart disease later in life. Those diagnosed with hypertension in middle age had twice the risk of coronary deaths and stroke compared to those with normal blood pressures.

PositiveTip: Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Get it taken even if you are young!

Older men with poor sleep architecture experienced more hypertension.

Healthy sleep includes a phase called slow-wave, or deep sleep. Researchers have found that older men with normal blood pressures, but who had the lowest levels of slow-wave sleep saw an 80% greater risk of being hypertensive 3.4 years later compared with those who had the higest levels--even after adjustment for age, race, BMI, and total sleep duration. There is growing evidence that sleep architecture influences metabolic functions.

PositiveTip: How is your sleep architecture? Regular times for sleeping, daily physical activity, and light eveing meals can help optimize it.

Abdominal obesity is more prevalent in diabetics, hypertensives, and CAD patients.

Swiss researchers found that abdominal obesity (AO) is highly prevalent in coronary artery disease patients and among those who have significantly higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, lower HDL-cholesterol levels and higher triglyceride levels than non-abdominal obese patients. AO patients also have higher resting heart rates, which is a strong predictor of mortality.

PositiveTip: A calorie-restricted vegetarian diet and exercise are shown to reduce abdominal fat significantly more than a regular calorie-restricted diet and exercise. Also exercise reduces the resting heart rate as you become more fit.

Spanish study finds one-third of hypertensive patients actually had normal values.

Are your blood pressure readings higher in the doctor's office? A large study in Spain discovered that just over one-third of hypertensive patients actually had normal pressures. These patients averaged 161/88 when measured in the doctor's office, but registered an average of 134/75 when using 24-hour ambulatory monitoring.

PositiveTip: If you think your blood pressure is consistently lower than when at your doctor's office, consider discussing the value of 24 hour ambulatory monitoring.

Sugar-laden beverages may raise blood pressure.

Sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit juice may increase blood pressure according to British researchers who looked at 2,696 U.S. and U.K. participants. For each additional sugary beverage per day systolic blood pressure rose 1.6 mmHg and diastolic by 0.8 mmHg (p<0.001 for both). Perhaps these "empty calories" are displacing calories from the nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. More research is needed.

PositiveTip: None of us really need sugar-sweetened beverages for health. Drink plain water instead of that calorie dense beverage, and eat another serving of delicious fruit.

Hearing stories of compliance from others lowered blood pressure.

In a first-of-its-kind randomized study, researchers found that storytelling by black patients for black patients resulted in reductions of 15 mm Hg systolic (vs. 3mm Hg in controls) and 3 mm Hg diastolic (no change in the control groups). This benefit was similar to blood pressure medications. The storytellers had the ability to clearly and persuasively describe their own experiences with hypertension, and told how they interacted with physicians, took their medicines, ate better, and exercised more. 

PositiveTip: The power of listening to others tell how they successfully coped with a problem can motivate us toward positive changes.

Cutting salt intake lowers blood pressure in diabetics.

Most cardiovascular disease risk for diabetes is linked with hypertension (high blood pressure). Researchers conducted a meta-analysis comparing high and low salt intakes. They found that restricting the amount of salt significantly reduced blood pressure, similar to the effect of single medication prescription.

PositiveTip: Public health guidelines recommend reducing salt intake to no more than one level teaspoon per day from all sources. Diabetics can greatly benefit from these restrictions too. 

Treating high blood pressure gives youth significant improvement in planning and problem-solving skills.

Planning, vigilance, problem solving, purposeful goal-directed behavior and working memory are all components of executive function. A small study of 22 youth with high blood pressure, or hypertension, (compared with 25 youth with normal blood pressure) has found that after one year of anti-hypertensive treatment, their ability to do executive functions significantly improved as their blood pressure normalized.

PositiveTip: It may be very important for you and your pediatrician to routinely monitor the blood pressure of children and teens in your home. Treatment could be vital for maintaining executive functions.