blood pressure news stories on Newser

Wait, Salt's Not So Bad Now?

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:10:02 CDT

In a world with constantly changing nutritional guidelines (eggs are bad for you; no, they're good for you! ), one food has seemed to be consistently maligned: salt. But a new, and highly contested, study finds that low-salt diets do not prevent high blood pressure—and actually increase the risk...

New Surgery Drops Blood Pressure 30%

aarontco — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:08:51 CST

A new surgical technique can lower blood pressure by up to 30% by destroying tiny nerves in the arteries leading to the kidneys. These nerves regulate blood supply, but can be overactive in some patients, dangerously boosting blood pressure. This new procedure inserts a small probe through a catheter in...

Chilis May Lower Blood Pressure

Jane Yager — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:07:04 CDT

Good news for spicy food lovers: Eating chili peppers may lower blood pressure over the long term. A new study, carried out on rats, is the first to establish a link between long-term ingestion of capsaicin, the ingredient that makes chilis spicy, and lowered blood pressure in animals predisposed to...

Blood Pressure Drugs Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

Nick McMaster — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:38:07 CDT

A common class of blood pressure drugs may increase the risk of getting cancer, a new study has found. Various angiotensin-receptor blockers, but especially the drug Micardis, are associated with a 1.2% increased risk in cancer diagnosis 4 years after taking the drug. It's not clear if the increased...

Chocolate Linked to Lower Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

M. Morris — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:41:00 CDT

Eating small amounts of chocolate may lower your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to new research out today. In a study of 19,000 middle-aged subjects, German scientists noted lower blood pressure in those who ate the most chocolate, accompanied by a 39% lower risk of...

Aggressive Treatment Doesn't Help Diabetics

Emily Rauhala — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:39:00 CDT

Rigorous treatment to lower blood pressure or cholesterol below current guidelines does not benefit—and may actually hurt—diabetics, a new study shows. The findings, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine , suggest doctors may have to find new ways to treat diabetic patients. But that's not entirely...

Low-Carb Diet Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

M. Morris — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:49:00 CST

Besides leading to weight loss, a low-carbohydrate diet helps lower blood pressure, according to a new study. Research subjects randomly assigned to a low-carb regimen lost about as much weight as patients following a low-fat plan and taking a weight-loss drug—the generic version of the medication marketed as Alli—...

Eating Right: Some Unusual Suspects

Will McCahill — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:45:00 CST

The usual admonitions we hear at this time of year about eating right are probably going in one ear and out the other, so perhaps these unusual health-food suspects from Men’s Health will catch your attention as you prepare that New Year’s resolution. Celery: Its phytochemicals are thought to lower...

High Blood Pressure Linked to Body Clock

Jane Yager — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:49:14 CST

Add high blood pressure to the long list of heightened risk factors for night shift workers, long-distance flight crews, and others with disturbances in the body's 24-hour clock. In findings with implications for treatment of hypertension, Japanese researchers working on mice have shown that the circadian clock directly controls a...