Controlling Your Blood Pressure Archive

In the journals

Blood pressure readings are usually done on only one arm, but a new analysis makes the case for checking both arms, as the difference between them may suggest an elevated risk for heart disease. The findings were published in the February 2021 issue of Hypertension.

Researchers examined 24 studies that measured blood pressure in both arms in 53,827 adults without high blood pressure. They found that a difference of more than five points between the left and right arm systolic readings (the top number) was linked with a 9% higher risk for a first-time heart attack or stroke and a 6% increase in cardiovascular death within 10 years. The greater the difference between the two readings, the higher the risk.

Research we're watching

Reliable blood pressure readings are vital for diagnosing high blood pressure and estimating a person's risk of heart disease. New research suggests that using a home blood pressure monitor may be more dependable than other methods.

Doctors have long relied on office visits to check people's blood pressure. But growing evidence shows that readings done outside a doctor's office are more closely linked to a person's risk of heart-related problems. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) involves wearing a device that automatically records blood pressure every 30 to 60 minutes for 24 hours, but it's not widely available.

Research we're watching

Widely considered the healthiest diet for your heart, the Mediterranean diet is rich in plant-based foods and features only small amounts of meat and dairy products. But a variation that includes more green plant foods may be even better for you, a small study suggests.

The study included 294 sedentary, moderately obese people whom researchers randomly divided into three groups. Each received different dietary advice: a standard healthy diet, a low-calorie Mediterranean diet, or a "green" Mediterranean diet. Both Mediterranean diet groups included about a quarter-cup of walnuts daily, and poultry and fish replaced beef and lamb.

News briefs

Here's more incentive to keep your blood pressure under control: a large study published online Dec. 14, 2020, by the journal Hypertension suggests that high blood pressure hastens decline in cognitive abilities (thinking skills). Researchers analyzed two health assessments, taken about four years apart, of more than 7,000 middle-aged and older people in Brazil. The assessments noted changes in a number of cognitive skills, such as memory, language, and concentration. Regardless of age, people with high blood pressure had faster declines in cognitive performance, compared with people who had normal blood pressure. The researchers classified blood pressure as high if the top number was 130 or higher and the bottom number was 80 or higher. But even people with a top number between 120 and 130 experienced faster cognitive decline than people with normal blood pressure. The silver lining: the researchers found that treating high blood pressure at any age appeared to reduce or prevent accelerated cognitive decline. High blood pressure can be controlled with medications as well as pill-free approaches, such as losing weight, exercising, eating a heart-healthy diet, reducing alcohol intake, managing stress, and quitting smoking.

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Cardiovascular problems can conspire to put a damper on sexual enjoyment. Talking to your doctor and your partner can help.

A physical connection with your romantic partner is often an important part of a fulfilling relationship. But when it comes to matters of the heart, the health of your heart matters.

"A satisfying sex life depends on physical health, psychological well-being, and the quality of the relationship," says Dr. Jan Shifren, who directs the Massachusetts General Hospital Midlife Women's Health Center. Heart disease and related conditions can influence all three of those factors in both men and women. Here's a look at the range of those effects and some possible solutions.

In the journals

Do you know if you have hypertension (high blood pressure)? And if you do, are you treating it effectively? Study findings published online Sept. 9, 2020, by JAMA found that people's awareness and control of their high blood pressure have both dropped in recent years, especially among older adults.

The study pulled data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It found that the number of people who knew they had hypertension fell 8% from 2013 to 2018. Among those who were aware of their condition, more than half did not manage it adequately. In particular, adults ages 60 and older were less likely to control their high blood pressure than younger people. Lack of engagement could be a factor. Researchers noted that among people who hadn't been to their doctor in the past year, fewer than 10% had controlled their blood pressure.

News briefs

A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, poultry, fish, and olive oil, and it's associated with lower risks for heart disease and diabetes. And a "greener" version of the eating style might be even more effective, according to a small, randomized study published online Nov. 23, 2020, by the journal Heart. Researchers — some from Harvard — recruited about 300 sedentary, middle-aged people (mostly men) with high cholesterol or abdominal obesity and divided them into three groups. One received guidance for exercise and a healthy diet; another received exercise guidance and was assigned to eat a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet; and one group received exercise guidance and was assigned to eat a "greener" calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet with less animal-based and more plant-based proteins (including walnuts and a type of duckweed — an aquatic plant), plus lots of green tea. After six months, people on the "green" diet had lost more weight and inches around their middles, and had bigger drops in cholesterol, than people in the other two groups. "Green" dieters also had steeper declines in insulin resistance, inflammation markers, and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number in the measurement), compared with the other two groups.

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Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the United States, perhaps because they're affordable (about 58 cents per pound, on average) and available year-round.

Among all fruits, bananas are one of best sources of potassium, with about 450 milligrams (mg) per banana. Healthy adults not on certain medications should aim for 4,700 mg of potassium daily, although few Americans meet this goal. A high potassium intake may help reduce high blood pressure and has also been linked to a lower risk of stroke and possibly heart disease.

Research we're watching

Couples who live together tend to have similar health habits. But only about one in five couples falls into the "ideal" category for heart-healthy habits and risk factors, suggests a study in the Oct. 26, 2020, issue of JAMA Network Open.

Researchers looked at health data on 5,365 couples from diverse racial and economic backgrounds throughout the United States. Most were in their 40s and 50s. Based on risk factors from the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (smoking status, body mass index, exercise, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar), researchers categorized individuals and couples as poor, intermediate, or ideal for each factor and over all.

Your partner's flawed health behaviors may be harming your heart.

It's been said that the longer couples stay together the more they look alike. As it turns out, the resemblance may be more than skin-deep. A study published online Oct. 26, 2020, by JAMA Network Open found that couples' health behavior and heart disease risk factors also look alike — for better or worse.

"We know, even from personal experience, that couples share similar behaviors that can affect health, but it was surprising to find the high levels of shared unhealthy behaviors within couples," says the study's lead author, Dov Shiffman, a senior scientific fellow at the medical testing company Quest Diagnostics.