Blood Pressure Tag

Sex-specific differences in kidney function and related proteins may explain how sodium and potassium intake affect blood pressure differently in men and women. journals.physiology.org

Blood Pressure Salt

High sodium intake raises blood pressure, while high potassium intake tends to lower it. However, these effects vary between men and women in ways that scientists do not yet fully understand. A recent study found that biological sex differences may influence how sodium and potassium affect blood pressure regulation, with the kidneys playing a crucial role in mediating these responses.

Researchers developed sex-specific computer models that simulate how the body regulates sodium, potassium, fluids, and blood pressure. These models incorporated key systems involved in this process, such as the kidneys, blood vessels, digestive system, and hormones that help manage blood pressure. The simulations accounted for known differences between men and women in kidney function, hormone responses, and nerve activity.

The models revealed that women’s blood pressure rises less than men’s in response to a high-sodium diet. This muted response appears to be due to differences in kidney transporter proteins, which control how the kidneys reabsorb sodium and potassium. However, when potassium intake increased, the models predicted a robust response wherein more potassium and sodium are excreted in urine, resulting in a substantial drop in blood pressure, even when sodium intake remains high.

These findings suggest that women possess a built-in advantage in managing high-sodium intake, likely due to differences at the kidney level. They also support increasing dietary potassium as an effective strategy for lowering blood pressure. Learn more about sodium needs in Aliquot #124: How much sodium do you actually need?

Strawberry consumption boosts thinking speed and lowers systolic blood pressure by 3% in older adults. www.sciencedirect.com

Nutrition Diet Heart Disease Memory Blood Pressure Polyphenol Cardiovascular

Cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease often go hand in hand—and both become more common with age. Nutrition plays a key role in protecting brain and heart health, and certain fruits rich in antioxidants may offer targeted benefits. A recent study found that consuming fresh strawberries daily improved cognitive function and lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 3% in older adults.

Researchers provided 35 healthy adults, ages 60 to 78, a strawberry powder or a placebo each day for eight weeks. Each person tried both options in random order, with a four-week break in between. The strawberry powder, made from freeze-dried fruit, delivered the same nutrients and antioxidants as two cups of fresh strawberries. The researchers measured the participants' cognitive function using standard tests and tracked markers of heart health, including blood pressure, waist size, blood lipids, and antioxidant levels.

The participants' thinking speed improved during the strawberry phase, while episodic memory improved modestly during the placebo phase. After eight weeks of strawberry consumption, systolic blood pressure dropped by an average of 3%, and waist size decreased slightly. Participants' blood antioxidant capacity increased with strawberries but decreased with the placebo. Triglycerides increased during the placebo period but remained stable with strawberries.

The findings from this small study suggest that regular strawberry intake supports brain and heart health in older adults. Strawberries are rich in polyphenols. Learn more about polyphenols in our overview article.

The combined effects of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking may accelerate brain aging, with hypertension being the most significant predictor of structural decline. spj.science.org

Brain Aging Diabetes Blood Pressure

Your brain may be aging faster than the rest of your body. While some people maintain brain health well into old age, others experience structural decline much earlier. A recent study found that multiple health factors—including hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and low educational attainment—may speed up brain aging, increasing the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers analyzed brain scans and long-term health data from 964 adults in northern China, monitoring them for 16 years. They used machine learning to estimate brain age based on imaging techniques and compared brain aging among groups with various high-risk health factors. They also focused on people with high blood pressure to see how it affects brain structure.

They found that people with four or five high-risk factors had considerably older-looking brains than those with fewer risks, suggesting that multiple health problems may accelerate brain aging. Hypertension, high blood sugar, elevated creatinine (a feature of metabolic disease), smoking, and lower education were the strongest predictors of brain structure decline. However, hypertension had the strongest link, with hypertensive participants exhibiting more substantial structural deterioration.

These findings suggest maintaining good cardiovascular and metabolic health may help slow brain aging. Hypertension damages the brain’s microvasculature. Learn how exercise preserves these tiny blood vessels, helping to maintain cognitive health.

A daily dose of coenzyme Q10—100 milligrams or less—reduces blood pressure by about 4mmH systolic and 3mmHG diastolic in people with type 2 diabetes, potentially lowering cardiovascular risk. www.clinicaltherapeutics.com

Diabetes Blood Pressure Antioxidant Cardiovascular

Most people with type 2 diabetes know they need to manage their blood glucose levels, but many may not realize they are at higher risk for heart disease. One potential option for reducing that risk is coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring antioxidant. A recent study found that supplementing with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) helps lower blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers reviewed data from 16 clinical trials that measured CoQ10 levels in people with type 2 diabetes. They focused on changes in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, comparing those who took the supplement to those who did not.

Their analysis revealed that CoQ10 lowered systolic blood pressure by about 4 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by about 3 mmHg. While it didn’t improve cholesterol levels overall, some subgroup analyses showed better results with lower doses (100 milligrams daily or less) and shorter study durations (less than 12 weeks). Notably, these findings were more pronounced in studies with larger participant groups (more than 50 people) and participants aged 55 or younger.

A reduction of 4 mmHg in systolic blood pressure may seem modest, but even small reductions can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. For example, a comprehensive analysis found that a 5-mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by approximately 10%00590-0/fulltext).

These findings suggest that CoQ10 could be a useful addition to diabetes treatment for managing blood pressure and reducing cardiovascular risk. A common feature of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is inflammation. Learn how to reduce chronic inflammation in Aliquot #84: Putting the Brakes on Chronic Inflammation

Irregular sleep schedules, regardless of sleep duration, are linked to an increased risk of major cardiovascular events. jech.bmj.com

Sleep Heart Disease Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

Most people know that sleep quality matters, but few recognize the importance of consistent sleep schedules. Evidence suggests that inconsistent bedtime and wake-up routines could harm heart health. A recent study found that irregular sleep patterns increase the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes, even among people who get enough sleep overall.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 72,000 adults aged 40 to 79 participating in the UK Biobank study. Participants wore wrist devices for one week to track sleep patterns and regularity. The researchers categorized sleep regularity as irregular, moderately irregular, and regular, and linked these patterns to hospital and death records over eight years to assess the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure.

People with irregular sleep schedules were 26% more likely to experience major cardiovascular events than those with regular sleep patterns, while those with moderately irregular sleep had an 8% higher risk. Meeting age-specific sleep duration recommendations helped lower the risk for moderately irregular sleepers but did not fully protect those with highly irregular sleep patterns.

These findings suggest that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule may be as important as getting enough sleep for cardiovascular health. Learn how to optimize your sleep in this Aliquot featuring Drs. Matt Walker, Satchin Panda, and Rhonda Patrick.

Just five minutes of daily exercise-like activities substantially decrease blood pressure, potentially cutting global hypertension rates by 28%. www.ahajournals.org

Exercise Blood Pressure

Hypertension—high blood pressure—is a major global health issue affecting more than 1 billion people and contributing to millions of deaths each year. Although robust evidence indicates that structured exercise lowers blood pressure, the effects of daily activity patterns in real-life settings on blood pressure are less clear. A recent study found that spending as little as five minutes daily engaging in exercise-like activities like running to catch a bus or climbing stairs can meaningfully reduce blood pressure.

Researchers used data from thigh-worn accelerometers and blood pressure measurements from more than 14,700 adults in the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium. They analyzed participants' daily activities, including sleep, sedentary time, standing, and different intensities of walking and exercise-like activities, while considering other relevant health factors.

They found that more time spent exercising was linked to lower blood pressure, with even a five-minute increase in exercise driving systolic and diastolic blood pressure reductions of 0.68 mmHg and 0.54 mmHg, respectively. However, increasing exercise-like activities by 20 to 27 minutes decreased systolic blood pressure by 2 mmHg and diastolic by 1 mmHg (considered clinically significant), potentially reducing the global prevalence of cardiovascular disease by as much as 28%.

These findings suggest that small, achievable increases in daily exercise can help manage blood pressure effectively. Brief periods of exercise throughout one’s day—often called “exercise snacks"—also help maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Martin Gibabla.

More than half of teens have high blood pressure, impairing memory and cognitive performance. physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Exercise Memory Blood Pressure

Hypertension – high blood pressure – affects more than 1.3 million adults worldwide. However, hypertension is becoming increasingly common in teens, too, raising concerns about the condition’s effects. A recent study found that teens with high blood pressure and arterial stiffness exhibit poor cognitive function.

The study involved 116 male and female teens (average age, 16 years). Researchers measured their physical activity and sedentary time with a combined accelerometer and heart rate monitor. They assessed their cognitive function through psychomotor function, attention, working memory, and learning tests. They measured the participants' blood pressure and evaluated aspects of their arterial health, including pulse wave velocity—a measure of arterial stiffness.

They found that more than half (50.4%) of the teens were pre-hypertensive or had stage 1 or 2 hypertension. Teens with higher systolic blood pressure exhibited poorer overall cognition and slower reaction times than those who were normotensive. Those with increased pulse wave velocity exhibited diminished accuracy in working memory tasks.

These findings suggest that high blood pressure and arterial stiffness contribute to poor cognitive function in teens. Preventing high blood pressure during this critical developmental period could support better cognitive outcomes, highlighting the importance of cardiovascular health in youth.

The average teen spends several hours each day in screen time, contributing to increased sedentary behavior and higher blood pressure. Learn more about the harmful effects of excessive screen time in teens and children in this short video featuring Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

Read full publication.

Taurine supplementation can help regulate blood glucose and lower blood pressure, reducing risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Obesity Diabetes Cholesterol Triglycerides Blood Pressure Metabolic Syndrome Taurine Stroke Cardiovascular Supplements

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that includes hypertension, high blood glucose, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal blood lipids. Having metabolic syndrome markedly increases a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. A recent meta-analysis found that taurine supplementation improves conditions associated with metabolic syndrome.

Researchers analyzed the findings of 25 studies (with more than 1,000 participants) investigating links between taurine supplementation and metabolic syndrome. They also explored the effects of taurine dose and examined secondary outcomes of taurine supplementation, including body composition, lipid profile, and blood glucose control.

They found that taurine doses ranged from 0.5 to 6 grams, with study durations ranging from five days to one year. On average, taurine supplementation reduced systolic blood pressure by 4 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure by 1.5 mmHg, fasting blood glucose by 6 milligrams per deciliter, and triglycerides by 18 milligrams per deciliter. The researchers did not observe an effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The reduction in diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose was dose-dependent, with higher doses eliciting more robust effects.

These findings suggest that taurine supplementation improves factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, other research shows that an acute bout of exercise increases blood taurine levels, providing a mechanistic link between exercise and better metabolic health.

Moderate zinc intake – less than 11 milligrams – reduces the risk of developing hypertension by 7 percent, but higher intake increases the risk by 14 percent per additional milligram. www.eurekalert.org

Nutrition Zinc Blood Pressure

Zinc is an essential nutrient that participates in many biological processes, modulating the activity of more than 300 enzymes and 2,000 transcription factors. It plays critical roles in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division. A recent study found that moderate zinc intake reduces the risk of hypertension; however, higher intakes markedly increase the risk.

The study involved more than 12,000 participants who did not have hypertension at their enrollment. Researchers assessed the participants' dietary intake using three consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls combined with a household food inventory. They tracked participants for about six years to identify new cases of hypertension, defined as having a systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher, being diagnosed by a physician, or being under antihypertensive treatment.

They found that the relationship between zinc intake and hypertension risk demonstrated a J-shaped curve – that is, the risk fell with moderate intake but dramatically increased with higher intake. Moderate zinc intake (up to 10.9 milligrams daily) decreased the risk of developing hypertension by 7 percent. However, when consuming 10.9 milligrams or more daily, each additional milligram of zinc increased the risk of hypertension by 14 percent.

These findings suggest that moderate zinc intake may help reduce the risk of developing hypertension, but excessive intake markedly increases the risk. Zinc plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy blood pressure by supporting the activity of nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that regulates blood flow and vasodilation. Zinc deficiency impairs the vasodilatory response and can reduce taste sensitivity, potentially increasing salt intake and elevating blood pressure. Learn more about zinc in our comprehensive overview article.

Read study abstract.

Low vitamin D status increases the risk of premature death from all causes by 97 percent. nutritionj.biomedcentral.com

Vitamin D Mortality Blood Pressure

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone stored in the body’s liver and fatty tissues. Best known for its role in maintaining calcium balance and bone health, vitamin D is critical in many physiological processes, such as blood pressure regulation, immune function, and cell growth. A recent study found that people with the lowest vitamin D concentrations are 97 percent more likely to die prematurely.

Researchers measured vitamin D concentrations in more than 19,000 adults with high blood pressure who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They tracked the participants' health and dietary supplement usage for about nine years and assessed their risk of dying prematurely from all causes.

They found that participants with vitamin D concentrations less than 25 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) were 97 percent more likely to die prematurely, and those with concentrations between 25 and 49.9 nmol/L were 71 percent more likely. However, people with high blood pressure who took supplemental vitamin D were 25 percent less likely to die prematurely, with the greatest benefits observed with higher doses and among those without diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

These findings from this study suggest that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of premature death in people with high blood pressure. Many medications accelerate vitamin D inactivation, including commonly prescribed blood pressure medications such as nifedipine and spironolactone. Learn more about vitamin D in our comprehensive overview article.

What are the optimal time-restricted eating patterns for cardiovascular wellness? pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diet Obesity Diabetes Cholesterol Time-Restricted Eating Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

Time-restricted eating is a dietary pattern that restricts the time during which a person eats to a specific window, such as a “16:8" pattern, where they fast for 16 hours a day and consume food only during the remaining eight hours. Evidence suggests that time-restricted eating improves cognitive function, supports weight loss, and reduces systemic inflammation. Findings from a recent review and meta-analysis suggest that time-restricted eating also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers analyzed the findings of 33 studies involving 1,725 participants investigating the effects of time-restricted eating on markers of cardiovascular health. They conducted a sub-group analysis to determine how age, health characteristics, and eating patterns influenced the effects of time-restricted eating.

They found that the effects of time-restricted eating on cardiovascular disease varied according to a person’s risk factors, age, and when they ate. The table below presents their findings for the optimal time-restricted eating for different groups.

This meta-analysis and review identifies the optimal time-restricted eating interventions for blood pressure, obesity, lipids, and glucose. It effectively provides a best-practices guide for people interested in implementing time-restricted eating as a lifestyle modification to improve cardiovascular health. Learn more about time-restricted eating in this episode featuring Dr. Satchin Panda.

Alarming gender disparities in hypertension-related cardiovascular risks: Women with an average blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher face a 113 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death. www.medscape.com

Aging Sex Blood Pressure Stroke Cardiovascular

Roughly half of all adults living in the U.S. have hypertension, with men affected more than women (48 percent versus 43 percent, respectively). However, the sex differences in hypertension prevalence aren’t consistent throughout the lifespan: Women who are 65 and older are more likely to have hypertension than men, raising concerns that current blood pressure recommendations should consider sex. Now, findings from a new study suggest that having an average systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher increases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) among women by 113 percent.

Researchers drew on data from more than 53,000 middle-aged adults enrolled in the NHANES studies. Over about ten years, they measured the participants' blood pressures three times and averaged the measures. They also tracked the participants' CVD-related death rates.

They found that links between blood pressure measures and CVD-related deaths differed by sex. Women experience a 61 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death when systolic blood pressure reaches between 130-139 mm Hg, and it soars to 113 percent when at 160 mm Hg or higher. In comparison, men see a 76 percent increased risk only when systolic measures are 160 mm Hg or higher.

When considering diastolic blood pressure, men had a higher risk of dying from CVD if measures were too low (below 70 mm Hg) or too high (80 mm Hg or more), compared to the risk associated with measures between 70 and 80 mm Hg. Again, for women, the risk was higher with diastolic measures that were too low (below 50 mm Hg) or too high (80 mm Hg or higher).

These findings suggest that having high blood pressure markedly increases the risk of death from CVD, and this risk begins at much lower measures among women than men.

Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 mmHg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg or higher. High blood pressure increases a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke and contributes to small vessel disease, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and stroke. However, lifestyle factors, such as sauna use, help maintain healthy blood pressure. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Jari Laukkanen.

Read full publication.

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness mitigates high blood pressure risks, reducing cardiovascular disease-related death. www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Sauna Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

Nearly 1.3 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, the primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease-related death. However, findings from a recent study suggest that greater cardiorespiratory fitness offsets some of the risks associated with having high blood pressure.

The study involved nearly 2,300 middle-aged men enrolled in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, an ongoing study of heart disease risk factors among men and women living in Finland. Researchers measured the participants' blood pressures (classified as normal or high) and cardiorespiratory fitness levels (classified as low, medium, or high).

They found that high blood pressure increased a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease-related death by 39 percent, and low fitness increased risk by 74 percent. These findings were consistent even after considering other risk factors, including age, body mass index, cholesterol levels, smoking status, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation).

Men with high blood pressure and low fitness levels were more than twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those with normal blood pressure and high fitness levels. However, men with high blood pressure and high fitness levels were only 55 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

These findings suggest that exercise markedly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, even among men with high blood pressure. Interestingly, sauna use also reduces blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease-related death. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Jari Laukkanen (one of the authors of this study.)

Read full publication.

Greater blood pressure variability is linked with cognitive decline in older adults. www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Aging Dementia Blood Pressure

Scientists have long understood that high blood pressure increases a person’s risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Now, evidence suggests that blood pressure variability carries similar risks. A recent study found that older adults with higher blood pressure variability performed worse on cognitive tests than those with lower variability.

Blood pressure variability occurs in response to various physiological and environmental factors that influence arterial blood pressure. Scientists classify blood pressure variability according to five types: short-term (beat to beat), short-term (24 hours), mid-term (day to day), long-term (less than five years), or very long-term (more than five years). People with high blood pressure tend to have higher variability than those with normal pressure.

Researchers measured the blood pressure of 70 older adults (aged 60 to 80) without dementia over several days. The participants took cognitive tests and underwent tests to determine their arterial stiffness – a well-established cardiovascular risk factor for cognitive impairment and closely linked with high blood pressure.

The researchers found that regardless of the participants' average blood pressure, those with high systolic short-term exhibited poor attention and psychomotor speed, and those with mid-term blood pressure variability showed poor executive function. Those with higher systolic short-term blood pressure variability tended to have higher arterial stiffness.

These findings suggest that higher blood pressure variability influences cognitive function, potentially reflecting early-stage decline better than average blood pressure. They also underscore the importance of maintaining healthy blood pressure throughout the lifespan. Learn how lifetime high blood pressure increases dementia risk in this clip featuring Dr. Axel Montagne.

Read full publication.

High blood pressure in early adulthood is linked to late-life neurodegeneration and loss of white matter integrity. www.news-medical.net

Brain Aging Dementia Blood Pressure Neurodegeneration

A new study shows that having high blood pressure in early adulthood harms brain health later in life, especially in men. Men who had high blood pressure as young adults had poorer brain health than those with normal blood pressure.

Researchers performed brain scans on 427 older adults to assess their brain volume and white matter integrity. Then they compared the scans of those who had high blood pressure in early adulthood (between the ages of 30 and 40 years) with those who had normal blood pressure.

They found that those who had high blood pressure had lower brain volumes and poorer white matter integrity – an indication of impaired cognitive plasticity. The link between high blood pressure and lower brain volume was stronger in men, especially in the frontal cortex and cerebral gray matter.

These findings suggest that prolonged exposure to high blood pressure has marked effects on brain health later in life, increasing one’s risk of dementia. Exercise can have profound blood pressure-reducing effects, however. Learn more about the brain-protective effects of exercise in this clip featuring Dr. Axel Montagne.

Read full publication.

Swapping salt with a salt substitute lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of early death by 12 percent. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diet Mortality Blood Pressure

Using a salt substitute helps reduce blood pressure, a 2022 review found. Swapping salt with a salt substitute dropped systolic blood pressure by nearly 5 mmHg and reduced the risk of premature death.

Researchers reviewed the findings of 23 randomized controlled trials involving more than 32,000 people with high blood pressure. The various trials investigated the effects of switching sodium-based salt with a potassium-based salt substitute on blood pressure, urinary output of sodium and potassium, and the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease and other causes.

They found that, on average, using a salt substitute reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.80 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.48. As expected, urinary output of sodium decreased considerably, while urinary out of potassium, which exerts robust blood pressure-lowering effects, increased. Using a salt substitute reduced the risk of dying from all causes of premature death by 12 percent.

Other research has shown that a 5-mmHg reduction of systolic blood pressure reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events by about 10 percent. When combined with other lifestyle behaviors, such as exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and sauna use, using a potassium-based salt substitute is a promising, non-pharmacological approach to reducing blood pressure.

Read full publication.

Eating carotenoid-rich foods may lower your blood pressure. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diet Blood Pressure Antioxidant Carotenoids

Higher blood levels of antioxidant compounds called carotenoids may lower a person’s risk of having high blood pressure, a 2022 study found. The greatest risk-lowering benefit was seen with the carotenoid compound beta-carotene, which cut the risk of having high blood pressure in half.

The study involved more than 11,000 adults enrolled in NHANES, an ongoing assessment of the health and nutritional status of people living in the United States. Researchers measured the levels of six carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, trans-lycopene, trans-beta-carotene, and cis-beta-carotene) in the participants' blood and took their blood pressures.

They found that having higher levels of all six of the carotenoids markedly reduced the risk of having high blood pressure. However, trans-beta carotene reduced the risk by 50 percent, and cis-beta-carotene reduced the risk by 53 percent.

Carotenoids are antioxidant compounds naturally present in many red, yellow, or orange fruits and vegetables. Beta carotene is found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Epidemiological data suggest that consumption of carotenoid-rich foods reduces the risk of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, macular degeneration, and prostate cancer.

Read full publication.

A new, non-invasive scan successfully identifies a common cause of hypertension and predicts treatment outcomes. www.qmul.ac.uk

Blood Pressure

A new, non-invasive scan successfully identifies adrenal adenomas – small benign tumors that overproduce aldosterone, thus causing primary aldosteronism, one of the leading causes of hypertension. The scan also predicted whether patients could expect a resolution of their hypertension symptoms with surgical removal of the adenomas.

The two-stage study involved 128 patients who had an adrenal adenoma. In the first stage, researchers administered the patients a short-acting dose of metomidate, a radioactive dye that preferentially targets adrenal adenomas. Then they performed MRIs on the patients to determine if the dye facilitated the tumors' identification – a means to predict whether surgical removal of the tumor(s) would resolve the participant’s hypertension.

In the second stage, they performed adrenal vein sampling on the patients, the traditional means of diagnosing primary aldosteronism. Adrenal vein sampling is an invasive procedure that involves the collection of blood from both adrenal glands via a catheter inserted in the groin.

They found that both procedures successfully predicted whether a surgical intervention could resolve the patients' hypertension, but the non-invasive procedure involving metomidate was slightly more successful, correctly identifying approximately 73 percent of the patients versus 64 percent with the adrenal vein sampling.

Primary aldosteronism is a disorder in which the body’s adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, a hormone that regulates blood pressure by balancing sodium and potassium levels in the body. The condition accounts for 5 to 14 percent of all hypertension cases and 20 to 25 of treatment-resistant hypertension cases; however, many people with primary aldosteronism go undiagnosed.

This study demonstrates that a non-invasive technique accurately diagnoses adrenal adenomas and identifies potential surgical candidates for adrenal adenoma removal.

Read full publication.

Rising blood pressure in young adulthood damages brain blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the brain. journals.lww.com

Brain Aging Blood Pressure Stroke

Gradual increases in blood pressure from young adulthood to middle age increased the risk of poor brain health in older age, a 2022 study found. Having higher blood pressure over time damaged the brain’s delicate blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the brain.

The study involved 885 adults whose blood pressures were monitored regularly over a 30-year period. Using magnetic resonance imaging studies, researchers assessed the participants' brain health at the beginning and end of the study period.

The researchers found that participants who had either high blood pressure in young adulthood or moderate blood pressure that gradually increased over time showed marked signs of microvascular disease in the white matter of their brains. The two groups also showed reduced blood flow in the gray matter of their brains.

Microvascular disease, also called small vessel disease, is a condition characterized by blood vessel dysfunction. It commonly occurs with aging and contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and stroke. Small vessel disease in the brain contributes to approximately 50 percent of dementia cases worldwide.

Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of dementia. www.sciencedaily.com

Aging Dementia Blood Pressure

Lowering high blood pressure later in life reduced a person’s risk of dementia by 13 percent, a recent study has found. This was true even after considering other factors that increase dementia risk.

Researchers analyzed the findings of five large studies investigating the effects of reducing blood pressure in older adults (average age, 69 years) on the risk of dementia. The studies involved more than 28,000 people from 20 countries and spanned roughly four years.

They found that reducing high blood pressure cut the risk of a person developing dementia by approximately 13 percent, even after considering a person’s age, sex, history of stroke, body mass index, and whether they had diabetes. When they looked at specific ranges of systolic blood pressure, they noted that the greatest risk reduction – 23 percent – was seen among those whose systolic pressure was less than 147 mmHg.

Nearly two-thirds of adults living in the United States have high blood pressure, defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 mmHg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg or higher. High blood pressure increases a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke and contributes to small vessel disease, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and stroke.

Read full publication.

Hot water baths before bedtime reduce the risk of hypertension. www.eurekalert.org

Aging Metabolism Heat Stress Blood Pressure

Older adults who regularly bathed in hot springs in the evening were less likely to have hypertension, a new study has found. Having hypertension markedly increased the likelihood of having other chronic diseases, however.

Researchers gathered information about the hot spring bathing habits and overall health of more than 10,000 older adults. The participants lived near Beppu, Japan, an area known for its many hot springs.

They found that older adults who regularly bathed in hot springs in the evening were approximately 15 percent less likely to have hypertension. Older adults who didn’t frequent the hot springs were roughly 50 percent more likely to have type 2 diabetes, heart arrhythmia, stroke, gout, or abnormal blood lipids.

Evidence suggests that chronic mental stress promotes hypertension. Research has shown that bathing in hot springs improves mental health and reduces stress. Other research has shown that hot water bathing before bedtime promotes faster sleep onset and better sleep quality, which could reduce the risk of developing hypertension.

Exercise, hot baths, and sauna use may have similar effects on promoting sleep and reducing blood pressure. Learn more about the effects of sauna use on hypertension in this clip featuring Dr. Jari Laukkanen.

Read full publication.

Estrogen may help lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting the protein PCSK-9. (2014) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Cholesterol Estrogen Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

From the article:

Dr. Ross Feldman, a clinical pharmacologist at London Health Sciences Centre and a scientist at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Robarts Research Institute, and his colleagues showed that the G-protein coupled estrogen receptor 30 (GPER) when activated by estrogen helps lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting the protein PCSK-9.

[…]

The study, which looked at two populations of women in northern Alberta and London, Ontario, also found that women who carry a common gene variant for GPER have a significant increase in LDL cholesterol levels. The gene variant, found in about 20 per cent of the population, impairs the ability of GPER to function and was shown in a previous study by the same authors to be associated with significant increases in blood pressure in women.

View full publication

Pomegranate juice improves blood pressure and reduces arterial plaques in people with atherosclerosis. www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com

Blood Pressure Polyphenol Cardiovascular

Pomegranate juice reduces symptoms associated with the narrowing of arteries that supply the brain, a small study has found. Patients who drank pomegranate juice for one year experienced improvements in blood pressure, antioxidant status, and carotid artery thickness (an indicator of the extent of plaque buildup in the arteries).

The study involved 19 people who had atherosclerosis with carotid artery stenosis, a condition in which the arteries that supply the brain thicken and narrow due to the accumulation of plaque. Ten of the participants drank 50 milliliters (about 1.7 ounces) of pomegranate juice daily for one year, while the remaining nine participants did not consume any pomegranate juice. The researchers assessed various aspects of the participants' cardiovascular health before, during, and after the intervention.

They found that several parameters of cardiovascular health improved after one year of pomegranate juice consumption. For example, the participants' carotid artery thickness decreased by up to 30 percent and their blood pressure decreased by 21 percent. In addition, their total antioxidant status increased by 130 percent. Participants who didn’t drink pomegranate juice did not experience these improvements, and in some cases, their cardiovascular measures worsened.

This small study shows that drinking pomegranate juice may improve symptoms associated with narrowing of the arteries. Pomegranates are rich in various bioactive polyphenols, including tannins, ellagic acid, and anthocyanins, that exert potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or cardioprotective effects in humans.

Chronic estradiol exposure led to hypertension in rats by promoting excessive superoxide levels in a blood pressure regulating brain area. (2011) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Estrogen Resveratrol Blood Pressure Oxidative Stress

From the article:

The researchers looked to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), a critical region in the brain stem known to be involved with the maintenance of blood pressure and thought to be associated with hypertension and heart failure. They theorized that chronic exposure to low levels of estrogen (in the form of estradiol-17β, also called E2) could influence this area of the brain.

[…]

To test their hypotheses they conducted a two-phase experiment using rats. In phase 1, animals were divided into groups and used as either controls or implanted with E2. After 90 days of E2 exposure the animals were examined and key data collected. In phase 2, the animals were used as either controls or implanted with E2 and, in addition, fed resveratrol-laced chow for 90 days. As with phase 1, RVLM was subsequently isolated from each animal and examined for increases in superoxide, hypertension and other key health markers.

Results

The researchers found that chronic E2 exposure caused a significant increase in superoxide in the RVLM, and in blood pressure. In addition they determined that the increases in both indicators were reversed with resveratrol. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that chronic exposure to low levels of E2 is capable of causing hypertension, possibly by increasing superoxide generation in the RVLM.

View full publication

Age-related depletion of nitric oxide synthase cofactors may change the antihypertensive effect of estrogen into a prohypertensive effect. (2005) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Estrogen Nitric Oxide Blood Pressure Oxidative Stress Cardiovascular

From the article:

They were studying estrogen’s effects on blood vessels, focusing on its impact on the smooth muscle cells that allow blood vessels to contract, thereby regulating blood pressure and blood flow. These researchers found that estrogen targets nitric oxide synthase 1, one of three versions of the enzyme that makes the powerful vasodilator, nitric oxide.

“What we were finding is that estrogen seems to be what you might call a natural nitroglycerin; nitroglycerin also works by making nitric oxide,” Dr. White says.

Then they tried to block estrogen’s activity by blocking nitric oxide. “What surprised the heck out of me was after we blocked nitric oxide production and added estrogen, we got a contraction,” says Dr. White. “Estrogen now had turned into a constrictor agent, an agent that would increase blood pressure.”

They looked further and found that normal aging decreases levels of the cofactors L-arginine and tetrahydrobiopterin – both critical to nitric oxide synthase’s production of nitric oxide.

[…]

“Under normal conditions, such as a pre-menopausal woman, this enzyme, nitric oxide synthase, makes nitric oxide,” says Dr. White. “But if you block the production of nitric oxide, this nitric oxide synthase now has a secondary product that normally isn’t made in an appreciable form. Now it makes a compound called superoxide. It’s an oxidant, and oxidation is bad in general. It causes a lot of cellular damage. But what we also have found is that now, instead of causing relaxation, it causes constriction. So you completely flip-flop the response here.

“One of the things this means is that menopause is a good thing, a sort of revolutionary endocrinology idea,” says Dr. White.

View full publication

Vitamin D and estradiol may synergistically help protect against metabolic syndrome. (2019) www.sciencedaily.com

Vitamin D Hormones Cholesterol Estrogen Triglycerides Blood Pressure Blood Sugar Metabolic Syndrome

From the article:

Metabolic syndrome has emerged as a major public health concern, affecting 30% to 60% of postmenopausal women worldwide.

[…]

The cross-sectional study included 616 postmenopausal women aged 49 to 86 years who were not taking estrogen and vitamin D/calcium supplements at the beginning of the trial. It concluded there was a positive correlation between vitamin D and estradiol.

Specifically, higher vitamin D was associated with a favorable lipid profile, blood pressure, and glucose level. Estradiol was negatively associated with cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. These results suggest a synergistic role of vitamin D and estradiol deficiency in developing metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.

View full publication

Testosterone-replacement therapy reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with low testosterone from 56% to 30%. (2012) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Testosterone Triglycerides Blood Pressure Blood Sugar Weight Loss

From the article:

“When indicated, testosterone treatment is both essential and safe in elderly patients with symptomatic late onset hypogonadism, or testosterone deficiency,” said study lead author Aksam A. Yassin, M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., chairman of the Institute of Urology & Andrology in Norderstedt-Hamburg, Germany. “Further analysis is needed to confirm if our findings are due to a direct effect of restoring physiologic testosterone levels.”

Specifically, investigators found that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome dropped from 56 to 30 percent after 57 months of treatment with testosterone-replacement medication to regulate hormone levels. In addition, triglycerides, and levels of blood sugar and pressure significantly decreased, while the average waist circumference shrank by 11 centimeters.

Beginning in 2004, investigators collected data from 261 patients with late-onset hypogonadism, characterized by both low testosterone levels and sexual dysfunction, at three centers in Germany. Patients received 1,000 milligrams of a long-acting testosterone drug, called undecanoate, on the first day of the study, at week six, and then every three months.

View full publication

Low testosterone levels may be linked to a twofold risk of premature death from heart disease and all causes. (2010) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Heart Disease Testosterone Blood Pressure

From the publication:

The researchers base their findings on 930 men, all of whom had coronary artery heart disease, and had been referred to a specialist heart centre between 2000 and 2002. Their heart health was then tracked for around 7 years.

On referral, low testosterone was relatively common. One in four of the men was classified as having low testosterone, using measurements of either bioavailable testosterone (bio-T) – available for tissues to use – of under 2.6 mmol/l [74.9 ng/dL] or total testosterone (TT) of under 8.1 mmol/l [233.4 ng/dL]

These measures indicate clinically defined testosterone deficiency, referred to as hypogonadism, as opposed to a tailing off in levels of the hormone as a result of ageing.

During the monitoring period almost twice as many men with low testosterone died as did those with normal levels. One in five (41) of those with low testosterone died, compared with one in eight (12%) of those with normal levels.

The only factors that influenced this risk were heart failure (left ventricular dysfunction), treatment with aspirin or a high blood pressure drug (beta blocker) and low bio-T levels.

A low bio-T level was an independent risk factor for premature death from all causes and from heart disease, after taking account of other influential factors, such as age, other underlying health problems, smoking and weight.

Borderline levels of low total testosterone (15.1mmol/l) [435.1 ng/dL] also increased the risk of an early death.

View full publication - 1

Low testosterone levels may be associated with chronic disease, even in men 40 years of age and younger. (2018) www.sciencedaily.com

Hormones Diabetes Cholesterol Depression Testosterone Triglycerides Blood Pressure Arthritis Cardiovascular

From the aricle:

Peterson and team then examined prevalence of nine chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, high triglycerides, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and clinical depression.

The researchers studied the prevalence of multimorbidity, or when two or more of the chronic conditions were present, among three age groups (young, middle-aged and older men) with and without testosterone deficiency. They found that low total testosterone [<300 ng/dL] was associated with multimorbidity in all age groups – but it was more prevalent among young and older men with testosterone deficiency.

“We also found a large dose-response relationship between the age-specific low total testosterone and moderate total testosterone levels and multimorbidity, even after adjusting for obesity and muscle strength capacity,” Peterson says. “Which means that men should be concerned about declining total testosterone, even if it has not reached a level to warrant a clinical diagnosis (<300 ng/dL [10.4 nmol/L]).”

View full publication

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood pressure.

Omega-3 Blood Pressure

Nearly 10 million people die every year from high blood pressure-related conditions, such as heart attacks, stroke, and irregular heartbeats. Robust evidence demonstrates that dietary components play important roles in preventing or managing high blood pressure Findings from a recent umbrella meta-analysis suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood pressure.

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that play critical roles in human health, participating in a wide range of biochemical pathways and processes and modulating the expression of genes throughout the lifespan. A growing body of evidence indicates that omega-3 fatty acids may prevent or ameliorate multiple conditions associated with cardiovascular disease.

The investigators conducted an umbrella meta-analysis, a type of review that analyzes the findings of previous meta-analyses. In all, they reviewed 10 meta-analyses, involving more than 6,300 ethnically and geographically diverse participants ranging in age from 34 to 55 years. Omega-3 doses ranged from 2.2 to 6 grams per day, and the duration of supplementation ranged from 4 to 29 weeks.

The investigators found that omega-3s reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and this effect was greater in studies that used higher doses for a longer duration. The number and ages of participants influenced the effect, as well, with studies that included fewer than 400 participants or those with participants over the age of 45 years reflecting a greater effect. Learn more about the health effects of omega-3s in this episode featuring Dr. Bill Harris.

View full publication.

Higher serum magnesium concentrations may reduce the risk of brain aneurysms and aneurysmal brain bleeding. (2021) www.physiciansweekly.com

Magnesium Blood Pressure Oxidative Stress Aneurysm

Higher serum magnesium concentrations reduce the risk of having a brain aneurysm.

A brain aneurysm is a weakness in a blood vessel in the brain that swells and fills with blood. If the aneurysm ruptures, it releases blood into the spaces that surround the brain. This bleeding can cause many complications, including hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage, coma, and even death. Evidence from a 2021 study suggests that higher serum magnesium concentrations reduce the risk of having a brain aneurysm.

Magnesium is an essential mineral and a cofactor for hundreds of enzymes. Found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds, magnesium participates in many physiological processes, including energy production, protein synthesis, ion transport, and cell signaling. Magnesium deficiency is linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Genetic variants called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence magnesium status.

The investigators conducted an analysis using Mendelian randomization, a research method that provides evidence of links between modifiable risk factors and disease based on genetic variants within a population. Mendelian randomization is less likely to be affected by confounding or reverse causation than other types of studies, but since it is based on assumptions, the likelihood of the assumptions must be taken into consideration. Their analysis focused on five magnesium-related SNPs identified in a genome-wide association study in nearly 24,000 people of European ancestry. They found that for every 0.1 mmol/L genetically predicted increase in serum magnesium concentration, the risk of having either a ruptured or unruptured brain aneurysm decreased 34 percent.

These findings suggest that higher magnesium concentrations reduce the risk of having a brain aneurysm. Learn more about the importance of magnesium in this episode featuring Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

View full publication.

The total number of individual risk factors, but not the size of aneurysms, significantly influences the risk of rupture. (2014) www.sciencedaily.com

Tobacco Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

This is a unique study in that it monitored aneurysm patients over their entire lifetimes, whereas typical follow-up studies last only between one and five years in duration.

[…]

The new study established that approximately one third of all aneurysms and up to one fourth of small aneurysms will rupture during a patient’s lifetime. The risk of rupture is particularly high for female smokers with brain aneurysms of seven millimetres or more in diameter. What surprised the researchers most was that the size of an aneurysm had little impact on its risk for rupture, particularly for men, despite a previously presumed correlation. In addition, the risk of rupture among non-smoking men was exceptionally low.

“This is not to say that aneurysms in non-smoking men never rupture, but that the risk is much lower than we previously thought. This means treating every unruptured aneurysm may be unnecessary if one is discovered in a non-smoking man with low blood pressure,” Juvela clarifies.

View full publication

Study suggests a link between aspirin use and lower brain aneurysm growth rate. (2019) www.sciencedaily.com

Drug Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

According to the univariate analysis, significant predictors of aneurysm growth included a patient’s history of ruptured aneurysm, drug abuse, hypertension, and polycystic kidney disease. There was an association between both aspirin use and one type of treatment, stent-assisted coil embolization, and a lower rate of aneurysm growth. In the multivariate analysis, the independent factors associated with aneurysm growth were again patient’s history of ruptured aneurysm, drug abuse, hypertension, and polycystic kidney disease. Only aspirin use proved to be associated with a significant decreased rate of aneurysm growth.

On the basis of the statistical analyses, use of aspirin appears to exert a protective effect against aneurysm growth and very likely against future rupture.

The authors point out that their findings are observational and that future, interventional studies should be conducted.

View full publication

Blocking a receptor called DP1 to prevent niacin (vitamin B3) flushing may increase susceptibility to aneurysms. (2012) www.sciencedaily.com

Cholesterol Micronutrients Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

Niacin, or vitamin B3, is the one approved drug that elevates “good” cholesterol (high density lipoprotein, HDL) while depressing “bad” cholesterol (low density lipoprotein , LDL), and has thereby attracted much attention from patients and physicians. Niacin keeps fat from breaking down, and so obstructs the availability of LDL building blocks.

Patients often stop taking niacin because it causes uncomfortable facial flushing, an effect caused by the release of a fat called prostaglandin or (PG)D2. PGD2 is the primary cause of the unwanted vasodilation, the “niacin flush.” The dilation occurs when blood vessels widen from relaxed smooth muscle cells within vessel walls.

PGD2, formed by an enzyme called COX-2 and released by immune and skin cells, acts on a muscle cell-surface receptor called DP1 to cause the flushing.

[…]

However, deletion of DP1 made mice somewhat more susceptible to hardening of the arteries, the formation of aneurysm, thrombosis, and in some cases, high blood pressure. The researchers suggest that these findings are reflective of DP1 expression in vascular and immune cells in mice, just as in humans, despite its absence on mouse platelet cells.

View full publication

Age, gender and body size are better predictors of aortic aneurysm than atherosclerosis and hypertension. (2003) www.eurekalert.org

Aging Genetics Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

“Atherosclerotic plaques and the risk factors that cause them, including hypertension, classically have been considered important potential causes of the expansion of the aorta,” says Bijoy Khandheria, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and study author. “Intuitively, it makes sense that high blood pressure would stretch the vessel walls and make them more likely to become enlarged. This study shows that while these risk factors are highly important in a host of diseases and conditions, they are bit players when it comes to causing the dilatation of the aorta that can lead to aneurysm.”

[…]

The study found that age, gender and body size together account for one-third or more of the cases of aortic dilatation, while atherosclerosis and related risk factors only explained 3 percent.

“There has been a tendency recently to refer to aneurysms as ‘athersclerotic aneurysms,’” explains Dr. Khandheria. “But the fact that plaques – even complex or severe ones – are very common, while aneurysms are rare, supports the conclusion that atherosclerosis and its risk factors are not likely to blame for aneurysms in the major blood vessels of the chest. Other factors and processes, including genetic diseases similar to Marfan syndrome, seem to be more important.

View full publication

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as aortic aneurysms and reduces life expectancy. (2018) www.eurekalert.org

Heart Disease Alcohol Blood Pressure Stroke Aneurysm

From the article:

The upper safe limit of drinking was about 5 drinks per week (100g of pure alcohol, 12.5 units or just over five pints of 4% ABV2 beer or five 175ml glasses of 13% ABV wine).

However, drinking above this limit was linked with lower life expectancy. For example, having 10 or more drinks per week was linked with 1-2 years shorter life expectancy1. Having 18 drinks or more per week was linked with 4-5 years shorter life expectancy.

[…]

The researchers also looked at the association between alcohol consumption and different types of cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, fatal aortic aneurysms, fatal hypertensive disease and heart failure and there were no clear thresholds where drinking less did not have a benefit.

View publication

Retirement may not provide relief from work-related hypertension, increasing the risk for diseases such as aneurysms. (2009) www.sciencedaily.com

Stress Blood Pressure Aneurysm

Hypertension is diagnosed when blood pressure on the artery walls is consistently too high. This condition can eventually damage cells of the arteries' inner lining, leading to angina, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, kidney failure and other serious health problems.

“People’s occupations during their working years can clearly be a risk for hypertension after they retire,” said senior study author Paul Leigh, a professor with the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research and the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis. “The body seems to have built up a stress reaction that takes years to ramp down and may last well beyond age 75.”

[…]

What they found with retirees was consistent with studies of those who are currently employed: higher-status occupations are associated with less hypertension than lower-status occupations.

[…]

Unlike executives and professionals like architects and engineers, Leigh explained, workers in positions such as sales, administrative support, construction and food preparation have little control over decision-making, are under pressure to get a specified amount of work done in a certain amount of time and may feel inadequate about their positions in the workplace hierarchy. Consequently, their stress levels tend to be higher, which can lead to high blood pressure and, eventually, hypertension.

View publication

Data from nearly 80,000 twin pairs suggest that brain aneurysm ruptures are more commonly caused by environmental factors than by genes. (2010) www.sciencedaily.com

Genetics Environment Tobacco Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

During the past few decades, the genetic makeup has been regarded as playing a significant role in the development of SAH [subarachnoid haemorrhage]. Contrary to this belief, however, a twin study recently published in the journal Stroke showed that environmental factors account for most of the susceptibility to develop SAH Conducted in Finland, Sweden and Denmark, the study is the largest population level twin study in the world.

This means that instead of screening the close family members of SAH patients, the focus of preventive treatment may now be increasingly shifted to the efficient management of hypertension and smoking cessation intervention. This is what we do with other cardiovascular diseases as well."

The Nordic study combined data on almost 80,000 pairs of twins over several decades. All in all, the follow-up time of all of the twin pairs corresponds to a staggering 6 million person-years.

The researchers nevertheless emphasize that there are rare cases of families among whose members SAH is significantly more common than in the overall population. In these cases genetic factors are the principal cause underlying the development of the disease.

View publication

Hypertensive smoking women have up to 20-fold higher risk of brain aneurysm ruptures. (2013) www.sciencedaily.com

Heart Disease Cholesterol Tobacco Blood Pressure Stroke Aneurysm

From the article:

If smoking women with high systolic blood pressure values have 20 times higher rate of these brain bleeds than never-smoking men with low blood pressure values, it may very well be that these women diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysms should be treated. On the other hand, never-smoking men with low blood pressure values and intracranial aneurysms may not need to be treated at all.

In this largest SAH risk factor study ever, the study group also identified three new risk factors for SAH: previous myocardial infarction, history of stroke in mother, and elevated cholesterol levels in men. The results revise the understanding of the epidemiology of SAH and indicate that the risk factors for SAH appear to be similar to those for other cardiovascular diseases.

We have previously shown that lifestyle risk factors affect significantly the life expectancy of SAH survivors, and now we have shown that the same risk factors also affect dramatically the risk of SAH itself.

View publication

Cocoa shown to reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness in first real-life study www.surrey.ac.uk

Diet Blood Pressure

Flavonoid-rich cocoa supplement reverses arterial stiffness and decreases blood pressure.

Arterial stiffness, a condition in which the walls of arteries become more rigid, increases with age and is a strong risk factor for hypertension. The links between arterial stiffness and hypertension are likely bidirectional, with aortic stiffening driving increases in systolic pressure, and elevated pressures promoting vascular damage and accelerated stiffening. Findings from a new study suggest that flavonoid compounds in cocoa reverse arterial stiffness.

Cocoa, the principal component of chocolate, is derived from the cacao tree. A wide range of beneficial health effects have been attributed to consumption of cocoa and chocolate, especially dark chocolate, which is rich in flavonoids. Cocoa and chocolate have the highest concentrations of flavonoids among commonly consumed foods, with roughly 10 percent of the weight of cocoa powder coming from flavonoids. Robust evidence suggests that cocoa flavonoids improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, promote healthy blood lipid concentrations, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, protect the skin against the sun, and improve blood flow to the brain.

The investigators conducted a series of single-person trials in 11 healthy adults. Participants consumed six cocoa flavonoid capsules (providing 862 milligrams of cocoa flavonoids) every morning on alternating days for eight consecutive days. On days when they didn’t take the cocoa flavonoid capsules, they took a placebo. Participants wore devices that measured their blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse wave velocity (a measure of arterial stiffness) before and every 30 minutes for the first three hours after taking the capsules and then every hour afterward for a total of 12 hours per day.

The investigators found that when the participants took the cocoa supplement, the participants' blood pressure dropped by as much as 1.7 mmHg and their pulse wave velocity decreased by as much as 0.14 m/s. These effects were observed only if the participant had high blood pressure. The greatest effects occurred in the first three hours after taking the cocoa, with the blood pressure dropping approximately 5 mmHg. Blood pressures dropped again at approximately eight hours after consuming the cocoa supplement, likely due to bacterial metabolism of the flavonoids in the gut.

These findings suggest that a flavonoid-rich cocoa supplement reduces blood pressure and markers of arterial stiffness in people with high blood pressure. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

View full publication.

Even after 5 years of abstinence, former heavy smokers have more than double the risk of a ruptured brain aneurysm. (2012) www.sciencedaily.com

Tobacco Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

After taking account of influential factors, such as salt intake, working hours, weight and family history of diabetes, smokers were almost three times as likely to have a brain bleed as non-smokers.

The impact of smoking was cumulative: the longer and more heavily a person had smoked, the greater was their risk of a brain bleed.

Quitting smoking cut the risk of a ruptured aneurysm by 59% after five or more years – bringing it down to the level of non-smokers. But this was not the case among heavy smokers.

Those who had smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day were still more than twice as likely to have a ruptured aneurysm as those who had never smoked. […]

In the short term, smoking thickens blood and drives up blood pressure, both of which can increase the risk of a brain bleed. These effects can be reversed by stopping smoking. But smoking also induces permanent changes in the structure of artery walls, say the authors. These changes may be greater in heavy smokers, they say.

View full publication

Insomnia, hypertension and smoking, but not high triglyceride levels, are considered possible risk factors for brain aneurysm rupture. www.sciencedaily.com

Sleep Genetics Tobacco Triglycerides Blood Pressure Aneurysm

From the article:

Data from several genome-wide association studies were used to gauge genetic associations to lifestyle and cardiometabolic risk factors. […] According to the analysis:

-A genetic predisposition for insomnia was associated with a 24% increased risk for intracranial aneurysm and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

-The risk for intracranial aneurysm was about three times higher for smokers vs. non-smokers.

-The risk for intracranial aneurysm was almost three times higher for each 10 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading).

-High triglyceride levels and high BMI did not demonstrate an increased risk for intracranial aneurysm and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

View full publication

Relationship of Daily Coffee Intake with Vascular Function in Patients with Hypertension www.mdpi.com

Coffee Blood Pressure

Drinking coffee improves vascular function in people with hypertension.

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. It is rich in polyphenolic compounds, including quercetin, chlorogenic acid, and others, that exert beneficial health effects in humans. Drinking coffee is linked with reduced disease burden and increased lifespan, possibly due to coffee’s ability to induce autophagy. A recent study suggests that coffee consumption improves vascular function in people with hypertension.

Hypertension is a chronic elevation of blood pressure that, over time, causes end-organ damage and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, and death. Key features of hypertension include endothelial dysfunction, an alteration of the vascular endothelium (the thin layer of cells that lines the blood vessels), and vascular smooth muscle dysfunction. Medical professionals typically use flow-mediated dilation to assess endothelial function and nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation to assess vascular smooth muscle function. When combined, the two measures are robust predictors of future cardiovascular events.

The study involved 462 adults (average age, 65 years) who had hypertension. The investigators assessed the participants' flow-mediated dilation and nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation and collected information about their coffee intake. They assigned the participants to one of two groups: coffee consumers and non-consumers.

They found that most coffee consumers drank about two cups of coffee per day. Coffee consumers were roughly half as likely to have endothelial dysfunction or vascular smooth muscle dysfunction, compared to non-consumers, even after considering other factors, including age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, smoking, and systolic blood pressure.

These findings suggest that moderate coffee intake improves measures of endothelial and vascular health. The authors posited that these benefits may be related to the effects of polyphenolic compounds in coffee, especially chlorogenic acid, a bioactive compound that exerts antioxidant properties, among others.

View full publication.

A high-protein diet resulted in 100 percent remission of prediabetes in a small randomized-controlled trial. journals.physiology.org

Exercise Heart Disease Sauna Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and chronically elevated blood sugar levels. Weight loss is often part of the primary treatment of type 2 diabetes; however, some weight loss diets may have more insulin-sensitizing effects than others. Findings of one report show that a high protein weight loss diet can reverse prediabetes by increasing insulin-sensitizing hormones.

Digestion of carbohydrates begins when sweetness receptors in the mouth are activated, leading to the release of insulin and hormones that augment insulin metabolism, such as incretins. In type 2 diabetes, incretins such as glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) are reduced, contributing to insulin resistance and increasing abdominal obesity. Pharmaceutical treatments for type 2 diabetes include GLP-1 activators, which can be effective at reducing blood sugar levels and increasing feelings of satiety after eating. High protein diets (30 percent of calories) have also been shown to enhance incretin signaling, making them an important strategy for treating prediabetes.

The authors recruited 24 participants who had obesity and prediabetes and randomly assigned them to either a high-carb diet (55 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent fat, 15 percent protein) or a high-protein diet (30 percent protein, 30 percent fat, 40 percent carbohydrate) for six months. The diets were designed to produce a 500 calorie per day deficit so that participants would lose weight. Participants completed an oral glucose tolerance test, during which they consumed 75 grams of glucose (equivalent to the amount of sugar in two 12 ounce cans of soda). The researchers measured blood glucose, insulin, GLP-1, and GIP levels during the test.

After six months, 100 percent of participants consuming the high-protein diet had remission of their prediabetes, while only 30 percent of participants consuming the high-carb diet experienced remission. Participants in both groups experienced weight loss (about 10 percent of their body weight) and improved insulin sensitivity; however, the participants consuming the high-protein diet had higher levels of GLP-1 and GIP and larger reductions in insulin resistance. Importantly, participants consuming the high-protein diet had increased lean muscle mass, while participants in the high-carb protein lost muscle mass.

These results demonstrate that high protein diets may be an effective strategy for improving insulin sensitivity and reducing type 2 diabetes risk. Learn more about high-protein diets and how to implement them in our new interview with Dr. Stuart Phillips.

Link to full publication.

Psyllium improves dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia and hypertension, while guar gum reduces body weight content.iospress.com

Nutrition Diet Cholesterol Blood Pressure

Dietary fiber improves symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of medical conditions that includes high blood pressure, high blood glucose, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and excess abdominal fat. Having metabolic syndrome increases a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. A 2009 study found that supplemental psyllium and guar gum improved symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome.

Psyllium, found in husks of the psyllium (Plantago ovata) seed, and guar gum, found in guar beans and commonly used as a food additive, are types of soluble dietary fiber. Soluble fibers dissolve in water and pass intact into the large intestine, where they are converted by colonic bacteria to prebiotic gels. Evidence indicates that consumption of soluble dietary fibers is associated with improved metabolic function, cardiovascular health, and gut function.

The six-month study involved 141 adults (average age, ~58 years) who had metabolic syndrome. The investigators randomly assigned participants to one of three groups. One group consumed supplemental psyllium husk powder twice a day before meals, while the other consumed guar gum. The third group consumed a standard diet. Investigators measured the participants' metabolic markers, blood lipids, blood pressure, and body weight before and after the intervention.

Participants who consumed the psyllium and guar gum exhibited reduced blood glucose, insulin, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (a component of very-low-density lipoprotein), compared to their baseline levels. Those who took the psyllium showed marked improvements in their triglycerides (~13 percent lower) and blood pressures (systolic, ~4 percent lower; diastolic, ~3 percent lower). Those who took the guar gum lost slightly more weight than those who took the psyllium. Participants who followed the standard diet did not exhibit significant improvements in any measures.

These findings suggest that soluble dietary fibers such as psyllium and guar gum reduce weight and improve markers of metabolic health in people with metabolic syndrome. Dietary fibers also maintain gut barrier function, which is often impaired in metabolic syndrome due to increased intestinal permeability. Learn more about intestinal permeability in our overview article.

Protective effect of lycopene on serum cholesterol and blood pressure: Meta-analyses of intervention trials www.maturitas.org

Nutrition Cholesterol Blood Pressure

Lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes and watermelon, reduces cholesterol levels and improves blood pressure.

Lycopene is a naturally occurring antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes, watermelon, and other red or pink fruits and vegetables their characteristic colors. Evidence suggests that lycopene intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and provides protection against prostate cancer. A 2010 meta-analysis found that lycopene reduces cholesterol levels and improves blood pressure.

High cholesterol levels and elevated blood pressure often go hand-in-hand and are among the primary contributors to cardiovascular disease and stroke risk. Although a vast array of drugs is available for the treatment of high cholesterol and blood pressure, many of these drugs carry unwanted side effects and risks, including an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer

The investigators conducted a meta-analysis, a type of study that analyzes data from several studies using objective, statistical formulas to identify a common effect. Their analysis included studies that examined the effects of lycopene on cholesterol or blood pressure for at least two weeks' duration. They also investigated whether dose influenced the effects of lycopene on cholesterol and whether the participants' baseline blood pressure influenced the response to lycopene.

They identified 12 studies that investigated the effects of lycopene on cholesterol and four that investigated its effects on blood pressure. Lycopene doses used in the various studies ranged from 4 to 44 milligrams per day. Study durations typically lasted two to six weeks, but one trial lasted six months. They found that doses of at least 25 milligrams per day (roughly the amount in one-half cup of sundried tomatoes) reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) by about 10 percent, comparable to the effects of a low-dose statin, a commonly used class of cholesterol-lowering drugs. They also found that lycopene reduced systolic blood pressure by approximately 5 mmHg. This effect was observed in participants who had high blood pressure but not in those whose blood pressure was normal.

These findings suggest that lycopene reduces cholesterol and blood pressure. They also underscore the usefulness of implementing dietary approaches to treat these common conditions.

View full publication.

The Acute Electrocortical and Blood Pressure Effects of Chocolate www.neuroregulation.org

Nutrition Blood Pressure

Chocolate may reduce blood pressure and enhance attention.

Chocolate and its principal component, cocoa, are derived from the cacao tree. A wide range of beneficial health effects have been ascribed to consumption of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, which is rich in bioactive compounds that exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties. Evidence from a 2015 study suggests that chocolate reduces blood pressure and influences electrical activity in the brain.

Some of the beneficial effects of chocolate and cocoa may be related to their capacity to promote nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide is a potent endogenous vasodilator that plays important roles in blood pressure regulation. Chocolate and cocoa also contain anandamide, a cannabinoid compound that binds to receptors in the brain and alters brain activity and mood.

The study involved 122 healthy adults (aged 18 to 25 years). The investigators randomly assigned the participants to receive one of six interventions: high (60 percent) cacao chocolate, low (0 percent) cacao chocolate, high cacao chocolate plus L-theanine (an amino acid with anti-anxiety effects), high-sugar water, low-sugar water, or plain water. Participants ate breakfast and then fasted four hours prior to the intervention. The investigators measured the participants' brain activity (via electroencephalogram, EEG), blood pressures, and moods before and one hour after participants consumed their respective interventions.

They found that compared to water alone, high cacao chocolate increased diastolic blood pressure. However, high cacao plus L-theanine reduced both diastolic and systolic pressures as much as 8 mmHg. The high cacao chocolate also increased brain activity related to arousal and decreased brain activity related to deactivation.

These findings suggest that in combination with L-theanine, chocolate reduces blood pressure. Chocolate also stimulates brain activity, potentially influencing processes involved in attention.

View full publication.

Doses of omega‐3 fatty acid intake above the recommended 3 grams per day may be associated with additional benefits in lowering blood pressure www.ahajournals.org

Heart Disease Omega-3 Blood Pressure Cardiovascular

Higher omega-3 fatty acid intake may be necessary to reduce blood pressure.

Nearly two-thirds of adults living in the United States have high blood pressure, defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 mmHg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg or higher. High blood pressure increases a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke and contributes to small vessel disease, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and stroke. Although some evidence suggests that omega-3s reduce blood pressure, researchers have not identified the optimal dose necessary to achieve this effect. Findings of a recent meta-analysis suggests that 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily reduce blood pressure.

Observational data suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, especially fish-derived eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are cardioprotective. For example, a prospective study involving more than 20,000 healthy males found that those who ate one to two servings of fish twice a week had a lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those who ate fish less than once a month, likely due to the omega-3s found in fish. But the findings from the five decades of study have been remarkably inconsistent, with some studies showing benefits, and others not. Some of these inconsistencies have arisen from differences in study designs, which vary markedly in terms of study population, dose, and duration.

The authors of the analysis searched the scientific literature for randomized controlled trials investigating associations between omega-3 fatty acids and blood pressure. Then they filtered their findings based on a set of criteria designed to identify high-quality studies. Finally, they combined data from these high-quality studies and reanalyzed them so they could interpret the results on a large scale.

They identified 71 trials, involving nearly 5,000 participants. On average, those who consumed 2 to 3 grams of combined EPA and DHA daily experienced reductions in blood pressure of approximately 2 mm Hg (and as much as 3.5 mm Hg). Participants who had high blood pressure and consumed more than 3 grams of EPA and DHA daily experienced reductions of 4.5 mm Hg for those with hypertension, compared to about 2 mm Hg for those without. Higher doses (5 grams daily) of omega-3s did not confer any additional benefit, with blood pressure decreasing by approximately 4 mm Hg for those with hypertension and less than 1 mm Hg for those without.

These findings suggest that 3 grams of combined EPA and DHA daily is the optimal dose of omega-3 fatty acids necessary to achieve reductions in blood pressure. Learn more about the heart-health benefits of omega-3s in this episode featuring Dr. Bill Harris.

View full publication.

Visceral fat intimately linked with the hypertensive effect of obesity: "only abdominal fat remained independently associated with hypertension" www.sciencedaily.com

Obesity Blood Pressure Metabolic Syndrome Visceral Fat

From the article:

For this study, 903 patients enrolled in the Dallas Heart Study were followed for an average of seven years to track development of hypertension. […] Patients also received imaging of visceral fat, or fat located deep in the abdominal cavity between the organs; subcutaneous fat, or visible fat located all over the body; and lower-body fat.

[…]

At the end of the study period, 25 percent of patients developed hypertension. While higher BMI was associated with increased incidence of hypertension, when abdominal fat content, overall fat content and lower-body fat content were factored in, only abdominal fat remained independently associated with hypertension.

View full publication

Hunger inhibition hormone leptin directly contributes to cardiovascular disease in those desensitized by obesity by increasing cardiovascular activity www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Obesity Heart Disease Satiety Blood Pressure Metabolic Syndrome

From the article:

In both cell culture and animal models, the researchers have shown that fat-derived leptin directly activates aldosterone synthase expression in the adrenal glands, resulting in production of more of the steroid hormone aldosterone.

High aldosterone levels are known to contribute to widespread inflammation, blood vessel stiffness and scarring, enlargement and stiffness of the heart, impaired insulin sensitivity and more.

Aldosterone, which is produced by the adrenal gland, has a direct effect on blood pressure by regulating salt-water balance in the body. High levels of aldosterone are an obesity hallmark and a leading cause of metabolic and cardiovascular problems. But exactly how it gets high in obesity was a mystery.

View full publication

Salt may increase blood pressure partly through reducing the production of ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Gut Diet Microbiome Ketosis Heart Disease Blood Pressure

From the article:

“Our team found that high salt consumption lowered levels of circulating beta hydroxybutyrate. When we put beta hydroxybutyrate back in the system, normal blood pressure is restored,” said Dr. Bina Joe, Distinguished University Professor and chair of UT’s Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and director of the Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine. “We have an opportunity to control salt-sensitive hypertension without exercising.”

The effects may be microbiome mediated. Read the following excerpt from discussion in a Cell spotlight:

Changes in the microbiota, specifically a decrease in Lactobacillus spp., in rats fed a high-salt diet have also been implicated in drivingthe progression of hypertension. The authors found that Lactobacillus spp. and Proteobacteria were reduced and Prevotella spp. were increased by a high-salt diet. The changes in the microbiota were associated with a decrease in gluconeogenesis and ketone metabolism, which was not restored by supplementation with 1,3-butanediol. Interestingly, after 1,3butanediol treatment, Proteobacteria and Prevotella shifted back toward the low-salt relative abundance and also correlated with an increase in protective Akkermansia levels.

Maintaining a lower systolic blood pressure (less than 120 mm Hg) may reduce the amount of white matter lesions, reducing risk of dementia www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Aging Dementia Blood Pressure

Maintaining a systolic blood pressure of 120 or less may protect against dementia and cognitive decline. Nearly two-thirds of adults living in the United States have hypertension (high blood pressure), defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 or higher. Hypertension damages small blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, and other tissues, increasing the risk for disease and dysfunction. A 2019 study found that intensive blood pressure control in patients with hypertension reduces the risk of developing small blood vessel damage-related white matter lesions in the brain.

Intensive blood pressure control is an aggressive treatment protocol for hypertension that seeks to achieve a target systolic blood pressure goal of 120 or less. This differs from standard treatment protocols, which stipulate that within three months of starting medication therapy to reduce high blood pressure, a patient’s target pressures (systolic and diastolic) should be less than 140/90. After three months, the target pressures should be less than 130/80.

White matter lesions are areas in the brain that appear as intense white spots on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. They are often indicators of small blood vessel disease and are considered a risk factor for dementia.

The study involved 670 adults (average age, 67 years) who had hypertension. Roughly half of the participants underwent intensive blood pressure control treatment, while the other half underwent standard treatment. The investigators performed MRI scans of all participants at the beginning of the intervention and again about four years later.

They found that participants who underwent intensive blood pressure control had fewer white matter lesions in their brains compared to those who underwent the standard treatment. Interestingly, those who underwent intensive treatment exhibited greater brain volume losses than those who underwent standard treatment, but this difference was not statistically significant.

These findings suggest that intensive blood pressure control reduces white matter lesions in the brains of people with hypertension and support findings from a related study that demonstrated that intensive blood pressure control may reduce the risk of adverse cognitive outcomes.

Hypertension is highly preventable with lifestyle modifications that involve diet and exercise. For example, dietary components, such as potassium and magnesium quercetin and vitamin D lower blood pressure. Aerobic exercise also lowers blood pressure. Learn about other beneficial effects of aerobic exercise in our overview article.

Link to full publication.

Elevated blood pressure as low as 135/85 may result in enhanced brain aging: damage may build up over years, starting in a person's twenties www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Heart Disease Dementia Blood Pressure

Currently selected for this coming member’s digest by team member Melisa B.

From the article:

“Compared to a person with a high blood pressure of 135/85, someone with an optimal reading of 110/70 was found to have a brain age that appears more than six months younger by the time they reach middle age.”

[…]

“By detecting the impact of increased blood pressure on the brain health of people in their 40s and older, we have to assume the effects of elevated blood pressure must build up over many years and could start in their 20s. This means that a young person’s brain is already vulnerable,” he said.

View full publication

Damage to the brain among elderly, known as white matter hyperintensities, prominent in people with history of subclinically elevated blood pressure www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Dementia Blood Pressure

From the article:

The research, carried out by Dr Karolina Wartolowska, a clinical research fellow at the Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia, University of Oxford, UK, looked for damage in the brain called “white matter hyperintensities” (WMH). These show up on MRI brain scans as brighter regions and they indicate damage to the small blood vessels in the brain that increases with age and blood pressure. WMH are associated with an increased risk of stroke, dementia, physical disabilities, depression and a decline in thinking abilities.

Dr Wartolowska said: “Not all people develop these changes as they age, but they are present in more than 50% of patients over the age of 65 and most people over the age of 80 even without high blood pressure, but it is more likely to develop with higher blood pressure and more likely to become severe.”

[…]

The researchers found that a higher load of WMH was strongly associated with current systolic blood pressure, but the strongest association was for past diastolic blood pressure, particularly when under the age of 50. Any increase in blood pressure, even below the usual treatment threshold of 140 mmHg for systolic and below 90 mmHg for diastolic, was linked to increased WMH, especially when people were taking medication to treat high blood pressure.*

View full publication

12-week exercise program of 40-60 minutes of jogging three days per week significantly improved testosterone and systolic b.p. in overweight men www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Hormones Sex Testosterone Blood Pressure Aerobic Weight Loss

40-60 minutes 3x per week:

Systolic blood pressure: 134 ± 4 vs. 119 ± 3 (after)
Diastolic blood pressure: 85 ± 2 vs. 75 ± 1 (after)

From the article:

At baseline, the overweight/obese men had significantly lower total, free and bioavailable testosterone level than normal weight men. All of the study volunteers completed a 12-week aerobic exercise plan that entailed 40-60 minutes of walking or jogging on one to three days per week.

[…]

I think decrease in body mass is one of the factors for increasing serum testosterone levels,“ said Hiroshi Kumagai, lead researcher on the study. "However, the degree of weight loss is small, and we found that the increase in vigorous physical activity was independently associated with the increase in serum testosterone levels. So, it seems the increase in physical activity, especially vigorous physical activity, is the main factor for increasing serum testosterone levels.”

View full publication

Long-term distance cycling reduces hallmarks of aging: thymic involution - "cyclists' thymuses were making as many T cells as those of a young person" www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Aging Cholesterol Blood Pressure Aerobic Thymus Thymic Involution

From the article:

The study recruited 125 amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79, 84 of which were male and 41 were female. The men had to be able to cycle 100 km in under 6.5 hours, while the women had to be able to cycle 60 km in 5.5 hours.

[…]

The cyclists also did not increase their body fat or cholesterol levels with age and the men’s testosterone levels also remained high, suggesting that they may have avoided most of the male menopause.

More surprisingly, the study also revealed that the benefits of exercise extend beyond muscle as the cyclists also had an immune system that did not seem to have aged either.

An organ called the thymus, which makes immune cells called T cells, starts to shrink from the age of 20 and makes less T cells. In this study, however, the cyclists' thymuses were making as many T cells as those of a young person.

Higher potassium and magnesium intake – not lower sodium – cuts heart disease risk. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Micronutrients Magnesium Blood Pressure

Experts have long believed that high dietary sodium intake increases a person’s risk of adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, including high blood pressure. However, other dietary minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, likely influence cardiovascular health too. Findings from a study published earlier this year suggest that dietary potassium and magnesium markedly decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Potassium is an essential mineral that plays key roles in cardiac function. It is found in a wide range of whole foods, especially potatoes, bananas, winter squashes, and some legumes. Processed foods are typically low in potassium. Nutrition experts have not established a recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for potassium, but intakes above 4,700 milligrams per day are considered optimal. Most people living in the United States consume roughly half this amount.

Magnesium is also an essential mineral. It participates in many aspects of cardiovascular health and helps maintain normal heart rhythm. Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The RDA for magnesium varies according to age, life stage, and sex, ranging from 310 milligrams per day for a young adult female to 420 milligrams per day for an older adult male.

The authors of the study drew on data from the Framingham Offspring Study, an ongoing cohort study of cardiovascular disease risk among people living in the northeastern United States. During multiple visits over a period of four years, the authors collected information from more than 2,300 adult participants (30 to 65 years old) regarding their overall health, lifestyles, and cardiovascular risks. Participants completed a food diary in which they recorded types and amounts of foods they consumed over a three-day period.

The authors' analysis revealed that even after considering sex, body mass index, dietary fiber intake, and blood pressure, lower sodium intake (less than 2,500 mg/day) did not decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, higher potassium intake (3,000 milligrams or more daily) decreased risk by 25 percent, and higher magnesium intake (320 milligrams or more daily) decreased risk by 34 percent. Higher calcium intake (700 milligrams or more daily) decreased cardiovascular risk by 19 percent, but this finding was not statistically significant.

These findings suggest that potassium and magnesium play important roles in cardiovascular health. Public health efforts to reduce sodium intake have been largely unsuccessful, with most Americans consuming nearly 3,400 milligrams every day, considerably more than the recommended 2,300 milligrams per day. Focusing efforts on increasing the intake of potassium and magnesium may have greater returns on improving cardiovascular health.

Link to full publication.

Hypertension in mid-life reduces brain volume and increases risk of dementia. neurosciencenews.com

Alzheimer's Dementia Blood Pressure Stroke

Many people develop hypertension (high blood pressure) with age, putting them at risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, retinal damage, and stroke. Hypertension is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, due to damage caused by years of vessel injury, microbleeds, and lesions. Authors of a recent study report that hypertension diagnosed in early or midlife, but not late life, is a predictor of dementia.

Because hypertension damages the delicate small blood vessels of the heart, kidneys, eyes, brain, and other organs, it is a risk factor for a wide range of chronic diseases. Previous research has shown that hypertension, by restricting blood flow, reduces brain volume in key areas associated with dementia, such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. As the number of young adults with hypertension increases to an estimated 1.6 billion globally by 2025, research on the risks of hypertension in earlier life are needed.

The authors collected data from more than 135,000 participants with hypertension and 135,000 matched control participants without hypertension from the United Kingdom Biobank, a long-term study of United Kingdom citizens. The researchers categorized participants into four categories: younger than 35 years; 35 to 44 years; 45 to 54 years; and 55 to 64 years. They used magnetic resonance imaging data to measure brain volume, and hospital records, death records, and self-reports to assess dementia status. Participants in the study provided data at a baseline appointment between 2006 and 2010 and at a follow-up appointment between 2014 and 2021.

Participants diagnosed with hypertension at any age had smaller brain volume than their matched control participant without hypertension. Participants diagnosed earlier in life had the greatest reductions, with participants diagnosed between ages 35 and 44 exhibiting a 0.8 percent loss in volume and participants before age 35 exhibiting a 1.2 percent loss. Specifically, hypertension was associated with loss of peripheral cortical gray matter, brain tissue necessary for higher brain functions such as learning, memory, and attention. Participants diagnosed with hypertension between ages 35 and 44 were at a 61 percent higher risk of dementia than the matched control participants without hypertension.

The authors concluded that hypertension diagnosed in early mid life, but not late life, is associated with decreased brain volume and increased risk of dementia. Lifestyle strategies that reduce blood pressure, such as exercise, sauna use, dietary modification, and stress management, may reduce dementia risk.

Resistance breathing technique lowers blood pressure. www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Blood Pressure Breathing Technique

Nearly two-thirds of adults living in the United States have high blood pressure, defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 80 mm Hg or higher. Aerobic exercise is one of the most effective strategies for maintaining healthy blood pressure, but fewer than 40 percent of adults meet current exercise guidelines. Findings from a new study suggest that high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training improves blood pressure.

High-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training is a form of resistance exercise that strengthens the muscles involved in breathing. The technique involves inhaling forcefully via the mouth through a portable, hand-held device that provides resistance against the inhalation. The frequency of training, number of repetitions, and amount of resistance vary based on the participant’s needs and respiratory health.

The study involved 36 healthy adults (ages 50 to 79 years) who had high systolic blood pressure. Half of the participants performed high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (five sets of six breaths, with one minute of rest between sets) for six weeks. The other half performed sham breathing exercises against very little resistance. The study investigators measured various biomarkers associated with stress and cardiovascular health in the participants' blood. They measured the participants' resting blood pressure at four time points (screening, baseline, end‐intervention, and follow‐up) and measured ambulatory pressure via a portable monitoring device every 20 minutes during the day and every 60 minutes at night over a 24-hour period. They also measured flow‐mediated dilation, an indicator of vascular endothelial function. They treated endothelial cells with plasma drawn from the participants before and after the intervention to assess the bioavailability of nitric oxide, a key signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.

When participants performed with high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training, their resting systolic blood pressure decreased from an average of 135 mm Hg to an average of 126 mm Hg. Similarly, their diastolic blood pressure decreased from an average of 79 mm Hg to an average of 77 mm Hg. Their 24-hour systolic blood pressure decreased, and their arterial flow‐mediated dilation improved by approximately 45 percent. The sham training had no effects on blood pressure or flow-mediated dilation. Participants who performed high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training exhibited decreases in C‐reactive protein (a biomarker of inflammation) and improvements in other markers associated with cardiovascular function. Nitric oxide bioavailability increased in both groups but was 10 percent higher among those who performed high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training.

These findings suggest that high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training demonstrates promise as a lifestyle strategy to lower blood pressure. Another lifestyle behavior that reduces blood pressure is sauna use. Learn more about sauna use in our overview article.

Link to full article.

Fasting "jump starts" dietary strategies to improve symptoms of metabolic syndrome. www.sciencedaily.com

Microbiome Fasting Blood Pressure

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of conditions that includes high blood pressure, high blood glucose, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels. People with metabolic syndrome are at higher risk for developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Findings from a new study suggest that fasting “jump starts” dietary strategies to improve symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

The “Western diet,” also known as the Standard American Diet, is rich in processed foods, red meat, high-fat dairy products, and added sugars. It plays contributing roles in the development of metabolic syndrome. Conversely, the DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension – is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and dietary fiber, and low in red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages. It is one of the most commonly prescribed and successful dietary patterns for managing high blood pressure and other aspects of metabolic syndrome.

Gut health also plays a role in development of metabolic syndrome. In fact, an imbalance in the number of harmful versus helpful microbes in the gut, a condition known as dysbiosis, drives many disease states. Fasting and caloric restriction induce changes in the gut microbiota to promote health.

The three-month intervention study included 71 adults between the ages of 50 and 70 years who had high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. Half of the participants followed a modified DASH diet alone, while the other half followed a combined fasting and modified DASH diet. The modified DASH diet was a plant-based dietary program that was low in sodium, fat, and sugar. The combined fasting/DASH diet started with two calorie-restricted vegan days (no more than 1,200 calories per day), followed by a five-day liquid fast that included vegetable juices and vegetable broth (300 to 500 calories per day). Upon completion of the fast, the participants followed the modified DASH plan. Both groups received approximately 50 hours of nutrition counseling, cooking lessons, and lifestyle coaching on exercise and stress management.

The authors of the study measured the participants' blood pressure and other markers of metabolic health, including body weight. They also measured immune cells and assessed the microbial makeup of the participants' gut microbiota.

Blood pressure (and the need for blood pressure medications) and bodyweight decreased among the participants following the fasting/DASH diet. The gut microbial composition of the participants following the fasting/DASH diet changed markedly during fasting, adopting a profile that was rich in microbes involved in short-chain fatty acid production, mucin degradation, and nutrient utilization. These changes in microbial composition reverted partially upon completion of the three-month DASH diet. The fasting/DASH diet also induced changes in immune cell populations, which were reversed when the participants ended their fast. Notably, fasting reduced the number of proinflammatory immune cells, whereas regulatory T cells increased. The participants who followed the DASH diet alone did not experience changes in their gut microbiota or immune cell populations.

These findings suggest that combining periodic fasting with a modified DASH diet improves blood pressure, body weight, and metabolic health in adults with metabolic syndrome better than the DASH diet alone. The participants in this study were of Caucasian-European background, potentially limiting the application of its findings. Further study is needed in a more heterogenous population.

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) as a COVID-19 treatment? encycla.com

Blood Pressure COVID-19

Almost a year ago, I remember seeing this post here about how ACE inhibitors and ARBs may increase the risk of severe COVID-19:

https://www.foundmyfitness.com/news/s/kyzlip/ace_inhibitors_and_angiotensin_receptor_blockers_may_increase_the_risk_of_severe_covid-19

It turns out, after many large observational studies, including metanalysis of these studies, that these drugs do not increase risk and decrease risk in some circumstances:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.03.20089375v1

Two randomized controlled trials that suspended ACEi/ARBs in COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients such as BRACE Corona (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33464336/) showed again no delirious impact of RAS inhibitors in the context of COVID-19 hospitalization.

Mounting in vitro and in vivo data supports the theory that these drugs may, if dosed appropriately, help in the context of COVID-19 - e.g. ARBs may be a viable treatment.

For instance, this animal study establishes a causal link between the renin-angiotensin system and COVID-19:

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-124634/v1

In the above animal study, it’s shown that the ACE2 enzyme activity itself (not as a receptor) modulates the severity of lung damage. While ARBs do not directly affect the ACE2 receptor, they likely work to stop this lung damage in a similar way (see https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1267 - for SARS, where losartan performs as well as soluble ACE2 in attenuating lung injury).

I’ve already typed too much (!) but the page above is a good catalog of these trials (de novo invitation of ARBs / renin-angiotensin modulating drugs in the context fo COVID-19)

Recent review identifies the most successful dietary patterns for reducing blood pressure. academic.oup.com

Blood Pressure

Hypertension, defined as a systolic pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 80 mm Hg or higher, is a chronic elevation of blood pressure. Having high blood pressure markedly increases a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. A recent review identified the most successful dietary patterns for reducing blood pressure.

Dietary patterns play critical roles in managing blood pressure. For example, robust evidence demonstrates that reducing salt intake or adhering to a vegetarian diet reduces blood pressure. Some of the blood pressure-lowering attributes of a plant-based diet include lower sodium content, higher potassium content, increased bioavailability of nitric oxide (a potent vasodilator), and beneficial effects on the microbiome.

The authors of the review analyzed data from 50 studies conducted over a period of more than 70 years and comprising 12 distinct dietary patterns. These patterns included Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Mediterranean, Nordic, vegetarian, low-salt, low-carbohydrate, low-fat, high-protein, low glycemic index, portfolio, pulse, and Paleolithic diets.

The analysis revealed that the DASH diet promoted the greatest overall reductions in blood pressure, with systolic pressure dropping 3.20 to 7.62 mm Hg, and diastolic pressure dropping 2.50 to 4.22 mm Hg. Beneficial effects were noted with the Nordic, portfolio, and low-salt diets, as well. The evidence supporting the blood pressure-lowering effects of the Mediterranean, vegetarian, Paleolithic, low-carbohydrate, low glycemic index, high-protein, and low-fat diets was inconsistent. Lower salt diets effectively reduced high blood pressure among people of all ethnicities, but they also reduced blood pressure in people of Afro-Caribbean descent even if their blood pressure was normal.

These findings provide further support for dietary interventions as means to reduce blood pressure. They also underscore the need for public health messaging to promote proven dietary patterns and lower salt intake as blood pressure-lowering strategies. Many of the components in this smoothie recipe are elements of the DASH diet.

Link to full study.

Increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor from aerobic exercise associated with appetite suppression, weight loss, and improved blood pressure www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Brain Obesity Blood Pressure Aerobic Weight Loss BDNF

From the article:

The team evaluated blood levels of BDNF before and after a three-month program of aerobic exercise in 15 overweight or obese men and women. The seven men and eight women, ages 26 to 51, worked out on a treadmill and bicycle. They were asked about their calorie intake and told to continue eating their usual number of calories. The participants were unaware that one of the study’s objectives was to evaluate changes in food intake.

At the end of the study, the subjects had decreased BMI, waist circumference, and blood pressure, the data showed. They also reported consuming fewer calories than at the beginning of the study. Over the three months, BDNF levels greatly increased. This higher the concentration of BDNF, the less the subject’s intake of calories and the greater the weight loss, Araya said.

Thus, it is possible that increases in BDNF suppress appetite, she said. They did not test appetite suppression directly, but some past studies have shown that aerobic exercise suppresses appetite.

Lower salt intake improves gut microbial health and blood pressure. www.eurekalert.org

Microbiome Blood Pressure Salt

Sodium is an essential nutrient that plays key roles in nerve signaling, muscle contraction, and fluid balance. The average person living in the United States consumes approximately 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day in table salt, roughly 50 percent higher than recommended intake. Getting too much sodium can increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Findings from a new study suggest that lower salt intake increases blood levels of short-chain fatty acids in people with high blood pressure.

Short-chain fatty acids are fatty acids that contain fewer than six carbons in their chemical structure. They are produced by gut microbes during the fermentation of dietary fiber and reflect the overall health of the gut microbiome. Short-chain fatty acids play critical roles in many aspects of health, including the maintenance of healthy blood pressure.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial involved 145 men and women (average age, 50 years) with untreated high blood pressure. The participants were asked to limit their sodium intake to 2,000 milligrams per day for six weeks. During that time, the participants took either nine sodium tablets (providing 10 mmol sodium per tablet) or a placebo daily and then crossed over to receive the other tablets for another six weeks. The low-sodium diet plus the slow sodium tablets represented typical sodium intake, and the low-sodium diet plus the placebo represented a low-sodium intake. The authors of the study measure levels of short-chain fatty acids in the participants' blood and monitored their blood pressure.

They found that reducing sodium intake increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids in the participants' blood, and these increases were associated with reduced blood pressure and improvements in arterial compliance, especially among women. These findings suggest that lower salt intake can have beneficial effects on blood pressure and support public health recommendations for reducing salt intake.

Link to study abstract.

Consumption of dairy products – especially high fat products – linked to lower risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. www.eurekalert.org

Diabetes Blood Pressure Dairy

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of disorders that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Having metabolic syndrome increases a person’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and premature death. An estimated one billion people worldwide have metabolic syndrome. Findings from a new study indicate that dairy product intake is associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its complications.

Dairy products comprise a wide range of foods derived from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, and others. They provide protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Full-fat dairy products are high in saturated fat. The nutritional benefits of dairy products are hotly debated.

The study drew on data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study, which involved participants between the ages of 35 and 70 years living in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The authors of the study first conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving nearly 113,000 people to determine whether there was an association between dairy intake and prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The participants completed food frequency questionnaires that provided information about their dietary intake, including dairy products.

Analysis of the questionnaires revealed that people who consumed two or more servings of dairy products per day were 24 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome. If they consumed two or more servings of high fat dairy products (instead of low fat) per day, they were 28 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome.

The study authors also conducted a prospective analysis to determine whether there was an association between dairy intake and the incidence of hypertension and diabetes. They reviewed data from nearly 190,000 participants. People who consumed three or more servings of dairy products per day were as much as 14 percent less likely to develop the two conditions. The associations were stronger when the people consumed full fat dairy products (instead of low fat).

High fat dairy products include full fat milk, full fat yogurt, and cheese. Cheese, in particular, contains spermidine, a compound that serves as a calorie restriction mimetic, capable of inducing autophagy even in the setting of sufficient nutrient intake. Watch this clip with autophagy expert Dr. Guido Kroemer in which he describes this phenomenon.

Study shows Vitamin C may lower blood pressure by nearly 5 mm Hg in hypertensive patients. www.sciencedaily.com

Heart Disease Vitamin C Blood Pressure

From the article:

Miller and his colleagues reviewed and analyzed data from 29 randomized, controlled, previously published clinical trials that reported systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure values and also compared vitamin C intake to a placebo. What they found is that taking an average of 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily – about five times the recommended daily requirement – reduced blood pressure by 3.84 millimeters of mercury in the short term. Among those diagnosed with hypertension, the drop was nearly 5 millimeters of mercury.

A comparison to common pharmacological treatment:

By comparison, Miller says, patients who take blood pressure medication such as ACE inhibitors or diuretics (so-called “water pills”) can expect a roughly 10 millimeter of mercury reduction in blood pressure.

Healthy lifestyle reduces risk of disease and death. www.eurekalert.org

Diet Aging Blood Pressure

Cardiovascular disease is a broad class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels, including stroke, hypertension, thrombosis, heart failure, and atherosclerosis. As much as 90 percent of cardiovascular disease may be attributable to lifestyle factors and, therefore, preventable. A recent study found that having better cardiovascular health during one’s midlife years may reduce risk of premature death later in life.

The American Heart Association has developed a scoring system that describes a person’s cardiovascular health based on measures of various lifestyle behaviors, such as smoking, diet, and physical activity, and known cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure, body mass index, and blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Having a higher cardiovascular health score is associated with reduced markers of disease, longer telomeres, and better vascular function and, consequently, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and premature death.

The prospective cohort study, which spanned a 16-year period, drew on data from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring investigation and involved 1,445 men and women whose average age was 60 years. The authors of the study found that for every five-year period that a person had intermediate or ideal cardiovascular health, they had a 33 percent lower risk for high blood pressure, 27 percent lower risk for diabetes or cardiovascular disease, 25 percent lower risk for diabetes, and 14 percent lower risk for premature death, compared to people who were in poor cardiovascular health. These findings held true regardless of age or sex.

Sauna use is a lifestyle behavior that has been shown to improve cardiovascular health. A large study of health outcomes in more than 2,300 middle-aged men from eastern Finland identified strong, dose-dependent links between sauna use and reduced cardiovascular-related death and disease. Compared to men who used the sauna once weekly, men who used the sauna four to seven times per week were 50 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes. Watch this clip in which Drs. Rhonda Patrick and Jari Laukkanen discuss these findings.

Link to full study.

Mental stress and lifestyle can predict lifespan. www.eurekalert.org

Diet Aging Depression Blood Pressure Dairy

The average life expectancy of people living in the United States is roughly 79 years. Several factors influence how long a person lives, however, such as diet, physical activity, and smoking. A new study suggests that mental stress shortens life expectancy by nearly three years.

Mental stress can affect the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems, eliciting a wide range of symptoms, including headaches, sleeplessness, sadness, anger, or irritability. Prolonged stress can promote continued strain on the body, contributing to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, including mental disorders such as depression or anxiety.

The study was based on data drawn from cross-sectional health surveys conducted every five years in Finland, spanning a 20-year period between 1987 and 2007 and including approximately 35,000 adults. The study participants were generally healthy and were between the ages of 25 and 74 years. The authors of the study conducted a statistical analysis of death rates using a model that included risk factors commonly associated with longevity, such as socioeconomic background, medical history, lifestyle, lifestyle satisfaction, and biological risk factors.

They found that some factors decreased the risk of premature death such as eating fruits and berries daily or almost daily (15 percent lower), having a higher level of education (10 percent lower), or frequent engagement in leisure-time physical activity (25 percent lower). Factors that increased risk included smoking (67 percent higher) or having diabetes (100 percent higher), both of which correlated to nearly seven years' shorter lifespan. Having high levels of stress decreased lifespan among men by nearly three years.

To learn more about the harmful effects of stress, watch this clip featuring Dr. Elissa Epel in which she describes how stress can modulate telomere length, a marker of aging.

Drinking a high flavanol cocoa beverage reduced symptoms of peripheral arterial disease. www.sciencedaily.com

Heart Disease Blood Pressure Antioxidant Dairy

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a narrowing of the blood vessels outside the heart and brain, is caused by the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. This narrowing promotes arterial insufficiency – a reduction in overall blood flow. More than 8.5 million people living in the United States have PAD. A recent study suggests that drinking a cocoa beverage rich in flavanols improves symptoms associated with PAD.

Cocoa contains the flavanol epicatechin, a bioactive food component that exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Previous work has demonstrated that cocoa in dark chocolate improved endothelial function and lowered blood pressure in people who were overweight.

This double-blind, randomized clinical trial involved 44 adults with PAD (average age, 72 years) who drank either a cocoa beverage or a placebo beverage once daily for six months. The cocoa beverage contained 15 grams of cocoa (> 85 percent cacao) and provided 75 milligrams of epicatechin. The authors of the study assessed changes in physiological parameters associated with a 6-minute walk performed immediately after and 24 hours after consumption of the beverage.

The data revealed that the participants who drank the cocoa beverage showed marked improvement in their walking performance, increasing their walking distance by nearly 43 meters immediately after consumption of the beverage and by nearly 18 meters 24 hours afterward. Those who drank the placebo decreased their walking distance by more than 24 meters. These findings held true regardless of the participants' race, smoking status, or body mass index.

The participants' plasma levels of epicatechin and its related metabolites were higher among those who drank the cocoa beverage. Furthermore, biopsies of the participants' calf muscles revealed that cocoa improved mitochondrial function, blood flow, and capillary density, compared to the placebo, suggesting that cocoa shows promise as a therapeutic strategy for people who have PAD.

Link to full study.

When healthy, lean individuals ate a Western-style diet for one week, their hippocampal-dependent learning and memory and appetite control declined. royalsocietypublishing.org

Diet Saturated Fat Blood Pressure Carbohydrates Blood Sugar Weight Loss

The Western Style Diet, sometimes referred to as Standard American Diet (SAD), is a dietary pattern characterized by high intake of refined carbohydrates, fatty meats, added fats, and sodium, and low intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The Western dietary pattern has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases and conditions, including overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Findings from a recent study suggest that the Western dietary pattern impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and memory and drives loss of appetite control.

The hippocampus is a small organ located within the brain’s medial temporal lobe. It is associated primarily with memory (in particular, the consolidation of short-term memories to long-term memories), learning, and spatial navigation. Data from rodent studies suggest that adherence to a Western dietary pattern impairs hippocampal-dependent learning and memory (HDLM). The hippocampus also plays a role in food intake by regulating appetite. Altered hippocampal function subsequent to exposure to a Western-style diet may create a vicious cycle state that promotes increased consumption of unhealthy foods that, in turn, drives further hippocampal dysfunction.

The study involved 110 lean, healthy Australian adults between the ages of 17 and 35 years who adhered to a healthy, non-restrictive dietary pattern. The authors of the study randomized the participants to either a one-week Western-style diet intervention group or a habitual-diet control group.

On the first and eighth days of the study, the participants in the Western diet group ate a breakfast that included a toasted sandwich and a milkshake (high in saturated fat and added sugar). On the second through seventh days of the study, the participants ate two Belgian waffles for either breakfast or dessert for four of the study days. On the other two study days, they obtained their main meal and a drink or dessert from a set of options from a popular fast-food chain. They followed their normal dietary pattern for all other meals. The participants in the control group ate a breakfast consisting of a toasted sandwich and a milkshake (low in saturated fat and added sugar) on the first and eighth days and followed their normal diet for all other meals.

The authors of the study assessed the participants' HDLM function as well as their appetite control before and after the intervention and control periods and again at a three-week follow-up assessment. They found that among those who followed the Western-style diet, HDLM performance declined, compared to the control group. Their appetite control declined as well, and this was strongly correlated with HDLM decline.

These findings suggest that even short-term consumption of a Western-style diet may impair learning and appetite control due to impaired hippocampal function. This lack of appetite control could promote overeating and drive weight gain.

Link to full study.

Weight loss and health improvements with Mediterranean, intermittent fasting, and Paleo diets www.sciencedaily.com

Diet Blood Pressure Protein Dairy Blood Sugar Weight Loss

Roughly two-thirds of all adults living in the United States are overweight or obese. Losing weight presents many challenges, however, and popular weight-loss diets and dietary patterns are not always successful or sustainable. A recent study found that people who followed an intermittent fasting, Mediterranean, or Paleo diet lost weight and showed improvements in health, but adherence to the diets varied.

Intermittent fasting is a broad term that describes periods of fasting between meals that can last several hours to days. Intermittent fasting increases the production of ketones due to the use of stored fat as an energy source. It also activates some of the same genetic pathways as caloric restriction. The authors of this study defined intermittent fasting as 25 percent of the participants' usual dietary intake two days per week.

The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern thought to confer health benefits found traditionally in Mediterranean countries. It is characterized by high consumption of vegetables, olive oil, and dairy products and moderate consumption of protein. The Paleo diet is based mainly on foods presumed to be available to Paleolithic humans. It includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and organ meats and excludes dairy products, grains, refined sugar, legumes, and other processed foods. The authors of this study modified the typical Paleo plan to include limited consumption of dairy, legumes, and grains.

The study mimicked “real world” dieting strategies in that each participant could choose which of the three dietary patterns they would follow for 12 months. In addition, they received no nutritional counseling other than a single, 30-minute session in which they learned about their self-selected diet. The authors of the study collected information about the participants' dietary intake, body weight and composition, blood pressure, physical activity, and various blood biomarkers, including glycated hemoglobin, a measure of long-term blood glucose control (also known as HbA1c).

Approximately 54 percent of the participants chose to follow the intermittent fasting diet, 27 percent chose the Mediterranean diet, and 18 percent chose the Paleo diet. At the end of the 12-month study period, adherence to the three diet plans was 54 percent for intermittent fasting, 57 percent for the Mediterranean, and 35 percent for Paleo.

Study participants lost weight with all three plans, but those who practiced intermittent fasting lost more (4 kg) than those who followed the Mediterranean (2.8 kg) or Paleo diets (1.8 kg). Those who followed the intermittent fasting and Mediterranean diet plans showed reductions in blood pressure (4.9 mm Hg and 5.9 mm Hg, respectively). Those who followed the Mediterranean diet experienced a 0.8 mmol/mol reduction in HbA1c.

These findings suggest that people can lose weight and improve health while following different dietary patterns as long as those patterns include healthful foods and are personally sustainable.

Japanese sake yeast supplementation improves sleep quality in a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep Blood Pressure

An abundance of scientific evidence points to the many roles that sleep plays in maintaining our mental and physical health. Not getting enough sleep is associated with increased risk for many chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer. Although many pharmaceutical sleep aids are available, they carry risks and do not provide good quality sleep. A recent study suggests that supplementation with sake yeast, a natural food product that is used to make Japanese wine, improves non-rapid eye movement sleep in humans by activating adenosine receptors.

Sleep occurs in distinct stages, the most prominent of which is non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep – typically referred to as “deep sleep” or “slow-wave sleep.” It comprises approximately 75 to 80 percent of a person’s total sleep time and is characterized by slowed brain waves, heart rate, and respiration. During NREM sleep, the body produces growth hormone, which plays roles in metabolism.

Adenosine is a nucleoside compound present in every cell of the body. It plays important roles in energy metabolism and utilization. When adenosine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain, it promotes NREM sleep.

After first determining that sake yeast activated adenosine receptors in a human cell line, the authors of the study conducted a double‐blind placebo‐controlled crossover trial involving 68 healthy men and women (average age 38 years old). Each participant took 500 milligrams of sake yeast or a placebo in tablet form for four days, one hour prior to their normal bedtime. After a 3-day washout period, the procedure was repeated with the participants who received the placebo taking the yeast and vice versa. Throughout the study, each participant completed a questionnaire to assess the subjective measures of their sleep quality. They also provided electroencephalography (EEG) data via portable EEG device and urine samples (to measure growth hormone excretion) to gauge objective measures of sleep quality.

The participants who took the sake yeast supplements reported improvements in their subjective ratings of sleep and fatigue. The EEG data revealed that the sake yeast supplementation increased key aspects of slow‐wave sleep by 110 percent without altering other sleep parameters. In addition, their urinary excretion of growth hormone increased by 137 percent. These findings suggest that sake yeast supplementation is an effective and safe way to promote high‐quality, deep sleep.

Low maternal vitamin D levels in early to mid-pregnancy were associated with an increased risk for offspring ADHD. www.sciencedaily.com

Fatty Liver Vitamin A Blood Pressure

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by poor focus, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Approximately 5 percent of all children worldwide have ADHD. Findings from a recent study suggest that poor maternal vitamin D status may play a role in the pathophysiology of ADHD in children.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the liver and fatty tissues. It plays key roles in several physiological processes, such as the regulation of blood pressure, calcium homeostasis, immune function, and the regulation of cell growth. Emerging evidence indicates that vitamin D is critical for the health and function of the central nervous system. Vitamin D is synthesized in a multistep process in the skin, liver, and kidneys following exposure to ultraviolet light or it can be obtained from dietary sources such as salmon, mushrooms, and many fortified foods.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine, IOM) has determined that people are at risk for vitamin D deficiency if their levels are less than 30 nmol/L, and are potentially at risk for deficiency if their levels are between 30 and 50 nmol/L. Levels of 50 nmol/L are considered sufficient for most people.

The population-based case-control study included 1,067 children born in Finland between 1998 and 1999 who had been diagnosed with ADHD and 1,067 matched controls. The study drew on data from Finnish national registries as well as maternal blood samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy for women enrolled in the Finnish Maternal Cohort of the Northern Finland Biobank Borealis. These samples were collected before Finland began recommending vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.

The data were adjusted for several potential confounding factors, including the number of previous births, maternal socioeconomic status, maternal age, self-reported smoking during pregnancy, maternal cotinine levels (a biomarker of nicotine), gestational age, weight for gestational age, information on maternal and paternal psychiatric diagnoses (including ADHD), substance use disorders, maternal immigrant background, and month of blood draw.

The study revealed that children born to women who had low vitamin D status during their pregnancies were 45 percent more likely to develop ADHD, even after adjusting for maternal socioeconomic status and age. The average vitamin D level among women whose children developed ADHD was 29 nmol/L.

There are biologically plausible explanations for the association between developmental vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of offspring ADHD. Early pregnancy is a critical period for fetal brain development, which is a complex process influenced by genetics and the in utero environment.

I published an article a few years ago first identifying how vitamin D regulates the conversion of the essential amino acid tryptophan into serotonin, and how this may influence the development of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, which all share as a unifying attribute low brain serotonin. Read more about these findings here.

Meta-analysis finds that quercetin significantly lowers blood pressure. academic.oup.com

Heart Disease Triglycerides Blood Pressure

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, claiming the lives of more than 17 million people every year. A recent meta-analysis and systematic review suggests that quercetin may exert protective effects to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Quercetin is a flavonol compound found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including onions, apples, tea, and lettuce. Epidemiological data suggest that quercetin exerts protective effects against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other chronic diseases due to its anti-inflammatory actions.

The analysis investigated the effects of quercetin intake on several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including lipid profiles, blood pressure, and glucose levels. It was based on findings from 17 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 900 participants who took a standardized quercetin extract.

The results of the analysis indicated that quercetin intake reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures by approximately 3.09 mmHg and 2.86 mmHg, respectively. Quercetin intake did not appear to influence blood lipid profiles or glucose levels. However, a sub-group analysis demonstrated that longer trials of quercetin intake (8 weeks or more) had favorable effects on participants' HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

These findings suggest that quercetin may be useful in the clinical setting for the management of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.

Link to full study.

Biological "aortic age" of the heart reduced by approximately four years in first-time marathon runners. www.inverse.com

Exercise Heart Disease Blood Pressure

Endurance exercise, such as long-distance running, swimming, and cycling, improves metabolism and reduces the risk of disease and death, especially from cardiovascular-related conditions. A new study found that marathon running, in particular, improves cardiovascular health by reversing age-related aortic stiffness.

The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. It delivers oxygenated blood from the heart to peripheral tissues. Aortic stiffness, or inelasticity, is a hallmark of aging and cardiovascular disease. Alterations in the mechanical properties of the aorta drive aortic stiffness.

The study involved 138 healthy adults who participated in a 6-month training program for a marathon. The study participants were between the ages of 21 and 69 years who ran between 6 and 13 miles per week.

Measures of the participants' aortic blood pressure and aortic stiffness provided estimates of their biological “aortic age.” Post-training measures revealed that training reduced systolic and diastolic aortic blood pressures by 4 mm Hg and 3 mm Hg, respectively, translating to approximately four years of chronological age. Men and older marathon runners saw the greatest improvements in their cardiovascular health, compared to younger or female runners.

Link to study abstract.

Time-restricted eating may help reduce weight and prevent diabetes and heart disease in people with metabolic syndrome. www.sciencedaily.com

Fasting Triglycerides Time-Restricted Eating Blood Pressure Dairy Metabolic Syndrome

More than a third of adults living in the United States have metabolic syndrome, a constellation of conditions that includes abdominal (central) obesity, high blood pressure, high fasting plasma glucose, high serum triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein levels. People who have metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. A new study suggests that time-restricted eating may reduce this risk.

Time-restricted eating is a form of daily fasting that aligns eating and fasting cycles to the body’s innate 24-hour circadian system. People who practice time-restricted eating typically eat during an 8- to 12-hour daytime window and fast during the remaining 12 to 16 hours.

This study involved 19 adults (average age, 59 years) who had metabolic syndrome. Most of the participants were obese, took a statin or antihypertensive drug, and had poor blood glucose control. They followed a time-restricted eating pattern that allowed them to eat during a 10-hour daytime window with a 14-hour overnight fast for 12 weeks. No overt attempt to change physical activity or diet quality or quantity was required.

At the end of the study, participants exhibited reduced waist circumference and body fat, lowered blood pressure, and improvements in lipid profiles and blood glucose control. These findings suggest that time-restricted eating may have potential as an adjunct to current therapies to treat metabolic syndrome.

Diets high in ultra-processed food linked to poor cardiovascular health. www.sciencedaily.com

Heart Disease Blood Pressure Dairy Blood Sugar Cardiovascular

The average American gets more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods such as soft drinks, chips, cookies, processed meats, and other convenience food items. These types of foods are often high in unhealthy fats and refined sugars and low in beneficial fiber. Findings presented recently at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2019 suggest that high intake of ultra-processed food is associated with poor cardiovascular health.

The findings were based on data from more than 13,000 adults living in the United States who provided information about their dietary intake and cardiovascular health, gauged by several measures of cardiovascular function, such as blood pressure, as well as lifestyle choices, such as physical activity and tobacco avoidance.

The data indicated that for every 5 percent increase in calories that a person obtained from ultra-processed foods, their cardiovascular health declined in a reciprocal fashion. For example, if a person obtained 70 percent of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, they were half as likely to have good cardiovascular health compared to someone who ate 40 percent or less of their calories from ultra-processed foods.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people living in the United States. Dietary interventions that include fewer ultra-processed foods could reduce cardiovascular disease-related deaths.

Link to press release.

New data suggest the human heart evolved to endure regular bouts of sustained moderate-intensity endurance exercise and is partly dependent upon it. blogs.discovermagazine.com

Exercise Heart Disease Blood Pressure

Primate hearts are uniquely adapted to meet their species-specific physical activity needs. Whereas chimpanzee hearts are adapted to relatively low levels of activity interspersed with short bursts of resistance activities, the human heart has adapted to allow humans to engage in low- to moderate-intensity endurance activities to facilitate the acquisition and preparation of food. Findings from a new study suggest that human heart health is dependent upon moderate-intensity endurance exercise, and its absence likely contributes to hypertensive heart disease.

The structure and function of the heart’s left ventricle are critical to heart health. Left ventricular dysfunction sets in motion a cascade of compensatory mechanisms that promote organ-level structural changes and elicit system-level hormonal adaptations, including hypertension. It is widely recognized as the end-stage of heart failure.

The authors of this study compared the blood pressures and left ventricular function and structure of chimpanzees and humans. They found that the human left ventricle amplifies cardiac output, a measure of the amount of work the heart performs in response to the body’s need for oxygen. This adaptation facilitates endurance activities and is not present in chimpanzees. They also found that lack of endurance activity changes the shape of the human heart to reflect more of a chimpanzee-like heart.

These findings suggest that human heart health is dependent upon regular low- to moderate-intensity activities that challenge the heart.

Blood pressure-lowering effect of exercise was diminished by 61% during the 1st hr of recovery when participants were given antibacterial mouthwash. www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Nitric Oxide Blood Pressure

A small randomized placebo-controlled trial finds the blood pressure-lowering effect of exercise was diminished by 61% during the first hour of recovery, and completely abolished 2 hours after exercise when participants were given antibacterial mouthwash.

Part of the blood-pressure-lowering effect of exercise has to do with increased levels of nitrate and subsequently nitric oxide which causes vasodilatation. When antibacterial mouthwash was given to the participants, their blood nitrite levels did not increase after exercise. It was only when participants used the placebo that nitrite levels in blood raised, suggesting that oral bacteria may play a role in nitrate levels in the circulation at least over the first period of recovery after exercise.

The antibacterial mouthwash used was 0.2% chlorhexidine. This was a small trial (23 participants) so no definitive conclusions can be made but these results are interesting and should be further explored.

New comprehensive analysis of the literature by @LaukkanenJari shows frequent sauna use may reduce the risk of heart disease, neurocognitive diseases. www.mayoclinicproceedings.org

Heat Stress Sauna Blood Pressure

New comprehensive analysis of both prospective studies and clinical trials shows frequent sauna use may reduce the risk of heart disease, neurocognitive diseases, mental health disorders, pulmonary diseases, and mortality.

Temperature, duration, and frequency are in the review. Most of the studies show benefits with a sauna temperature of around 174F for 20 minutes at least 2-3 times per week. Sauna use 4-7 times per week had the most robust effects.

This review is authored by Dr. Jari Laukkanen. His research has shown that frequent sauna bathing reduces blood pressure, inflammation, oxidative stress, cholesterol, arterial stiffness, and vascular resistance. He has also shown that sauna use contributes to beneficial levels of circulating hormones and other cardiovascular markers.

You can learn more about the beneficial effects of sauna use on the heart and brain by checking out my podcast with the author of this study, Dr. Jari Laukkanen.

Sauna episode: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/jari-laukkanen

Expression of specific inflammasome gene modules stratifies older individuals into two extreme clinical and immunological states (2017) www.nature.com

Aging Inflammation Caffeine Blood Pressure

Abstract: Low-grade, chronic inflammation has been associated with many diseases of aging, but the mechanisms responsible for producing this inflammation remain unclear. Inflammasomes can drive chronic inflammation in the context of an infectious disease or cellular stress, and they trigger the maturation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Here we find that the expression of specific inflammasome gene modules stratifies older individuals into two extremes: those with constitutive expression of IL-1β, nucleotide metabolism dysfunction, elevated oxidative stress, high rates of hypertension and arterial stiffness; and those without constitutive expression of IL-1β, who lack these characteristics. Adenine and N4-acetylcytidine, nucleotide-derived metabolites that are detectable in the blood of the former group, prime and activate the NLRC4 inflammasome, induce the production of IL-1β, activate platelets and neutrophils and elevate blood pressure in mice. In individuals over 85 years of age, the elevated expression of inflammasome gene modules was associated with all-cause mortality. Thus, targeting inflammasome components may ameliorate chronic inflammation and various other age-associated conditions.

Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes www.cell.com

Insulin Resistance Fasting Insulin Time-Restricted Eating Blood Pressure Weight Loss

A small randomized controlled clinical trial finds time-restricted eating within a 6-hour window (fasting for 18 hours) without reducing calories or losing weight improves insulin sensitivity, beta cell function, blood pressure, oxidative stress and reduces evening appetite.

All eating was supervised and approached metabolic ward rigor. The improvements in metabolism were independent of weight loss and the reduction in blood pressure was so significant that it was comparable to the standard of care blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitors).

The time-restricted eating they started early with the first meal at 8 am and dinner before 3 pm. The importance of time of day for this type of intermittent fasting is still an interesting open question, especially since there’s a lot of advocacy for late eating among 16:8 advocates, however, insulin sensitivity usually declines later in the day (and is exacerbated by the production of melatonin, which has an effect of shutting off insulin secretion). Interestingly, Dr. Satchin Panda has been gathering data via his mobile app (my circadian clock) that suggests an eating window later in the day may be comparable to an early eating window.

To learn more about time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting check out the two separate podcasts I did with Dr. Satchin Panda. The episodes have summaries, timelines, and transcripts!

Round 2 episode: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/satchin-round-2

Round 1 episode: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/satchin-panda

Pilot study finds supplementation with nicotinamide riboside improves blood pressure/arterial health particularly in individuals with hypertension. www.genengnews.com

Aging Heart Disease Mitochondria Vitamin A Blood Pressure Dairy

A pilot study finds supplementation with nicotinamide riboside (500 mg, twice a day) improves blood pressure and arterial health particularly in individuals with mild hypertension (compared to placebo). The decrease in blood pressure could translate to a 25% reduction in heart attack risk.

The study also found that 1,000 mg daily of nicotinamide riboside boosted levels increased NAD+ by 60%.

Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that is converted into NAD+. NAD+ is a cofactor for many metabolic enzymes and becomes depleted across various tissues as we age. This causes the mitochondria to suffer and mitochondrial decay is also thought to also be a key driver of aging.

To learn more about the role of nicotinamide riboside and NAD+ in aging…check out my conversation with Dr. Eric Verdin. Click on the timeline for the exact time point when we discuss nicotinamide riboside.

Dr. Eric Verdin Episode: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/eric-verdin

Using the sauna 4x per week lowered hypertension by 46% in men. www.medicalnewstoday.com

Heart Disease Heat Stress Blood Pressure

Using the sauna 3x per week was associated with a 24% reduction in high blood pressure. This study included close to 2,000 middle-aged men that were followed for 20 years. The results were adjusted for many possible confounding factors including baseline age, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical exercise, socioeconomic status, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, type 2 diabetes, previous heart attack, resting heart rate and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Anyone that follows me knows that I talk about saunas A LOT. I interviewed the senior author of this study, Jari Laukkanen, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Laukkanen has been conducting long-term trials looking at the health effects of sauna use in a population of over 2,000 middle-aged men in Finland. The results? Massive reductions in mortality and memory disease in a dose-response fashion at 20-year follow-up. In the podcast, we talk about the details of how long each sauna session was and the average temperature of the saunas. It is a short episode (~25 minutes) that is well worth a listen! Video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL7vVG_CFWA

Using sauna 4-7x per week lowered dementia risk by 66% & Alzheimer's risk by 65% after adjusting for diet/lifestyle. ageing.oxfordjournals.org

Fulltext Alzheimer's Aging Heat Stress Dementia Blood Pressure Protein

This study included over 2,000 middle-aged men that were followed for 20 years. The results were adjusted for many possible confounding factors including baseline age, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical exercise, socioeconomic status, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, type 2 diabetes, previous heart attack, resting heart rate and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

One of the reasons I find this study so compelling even though it is associative data and does not establish causality is because the sauna activates heat shock proteins, which have been shown in countless animal studies to play a causal role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Anyone that follows me knows that I talk about saunas ALOT. I have a couple of videos where I discuss the effects of the sauna on longevity and in muscle mass and endurance. I discuss the role of heat shock proteins in both videos. I also have free reports with references covering all these topics that you can download on my website (foundmyfitness.com). Sauna longevity video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWKBsh7YTXQ Sauna muscle/endurance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHOlM-wlNjM&t=1s

Blood Pressure

Episodes

This Is the Best Type of Exercise for Improving Blood Pressure - Sports Cardiologist

How to Lower Your Blood Pressure (exercise, cocoa flavanols, & heat stress) | Peter Attia

Why lifetime hypertension increases dementia risk | Axel Montagne, Ph.D.

Topic Pages

News & Publications