Study authors say its likely protective effect comes from antihypertensive drugs

 

A new study suggests that people with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure have a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. However, authors conclude the connection may have more to do with anti-hypertension medication than high blood pressure itself. "It's likely that this protective effect is coming from antihypertensive drugs," said co-author John Kauwe, associate professor of biology at Brigham Young University. "These drugs are already FDA approved. We need to take a serious look at them for Alzheimer's prevention." The study, published this month in PLOS Medicine, analyzed genetic data from 17,008 individuals with Alzheimer's and 37,154 people without the disease. Data came from the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium and the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project. BYU researchers worked with scholars from the University of Cambridge, Aarhus University in Denmark and the University of Washington on the massive study. BYU's role was to flex its muscles in supercomputing and bioinformatics. With the help of BYU's supercomputer, Kauwe and undergraduate student Kevin Boehme pieced together 32 data sets for the analysis. The research team looked for links between Alzheimer's disease and a number of health conditions -- including diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol -- but only found a significant association between higher systolic blood pressure and reduced Alzheimer's risk. (A weak connection between smoking and Alzheimer's also surfaced.) "Our results are the opposite of what people might think," said fellow co-author Paul Crane, a University of Washington associate professor of internal medicine. "It may be that high blood pressure is protective, or it may be that something that people with high blood pressure are exposed to more often, such as antihypertensive medication, is protecting them from Alzheimer's disease." University of Cambridge senior investigator scientist Robert Scott led the study, which used "Mendelian randomization" to find if the risk factors (BMI, insulin resistance, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes) for Alzheimer's had a causal impact. Mendelian randomization uses subjects' genetics as a proxy for a randomized clinical trial. "This is to date the most authoritative paper looking at causal relationships between Alzheimer's disease and these potentially modifiable factors," Kauwe said. "In terms of the number of samples, it can't get bigger at this point."

10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication

 

By making these 10 lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. By Mayo Clinic Staff Heart-Healthy Living If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication. Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down. 1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further raises your blood pressure. Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. Besides shedding pounds, you generally should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:     Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters).     Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 centimeters). These numbers vary among ethnic groups. Ask your doctor about a healthy waist measurement for you. 2. Exercise regularly Regular physical activity — at least 30 minutes most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It's important to be consistent because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again. If you have slightly high blood pressure (prehypertension), exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels. The best types of exercise for lowering blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing. Strength training also can help reduce blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program. 3. Eat a healthy diet Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:     Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.     Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.     Be a smart shopper. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too. 4. Reduce sodium in your diet Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. The effect of sodium intake on blood pressure varies among groups of people. In general, limit sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less. However, a lower sodium intake — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate for people with greater salt sensitivity, including:     African-Americans     Anyone age 51 or older     Anyone diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:     Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.     Eat fewer processed foods. Only a small amount of sodium occurs naturally in foods. Most sodium is added during processing.     Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices to add flavor to your food.     Ease into it. If you don't feel you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time. 5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women and for men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger. One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications. 6. Quit smoking Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish. Quitting smoking helps your blood pressure return to normal. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, have substantial increases in life expectancy. 7. Cut back on caffeine The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debated. Caffeine can raise blood pressure by as much as 10 mm Hg in people who rarely consume it, but there is little to no strong effect on blood pressure in habitual coffee drinkers. Although the effects of chronic caffeine ingestion on blood pressure aren't clear, the possibility of a slight increase in blood pressure exists. To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage. If your blood pressure increases by 5 to 10 mm Hg, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine. Talk to your doctor about the effects of caffeine on your blood pressure. 8. Reduce your stress Chronic stress is an important contributor to high blood pressure. Occasional stress also can contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by eating unhealthy food, drinking alcohol or smoking. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress. If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Try to:     Change your expectations. Give yourself time to get things done. Learn to say no and to live within manageable limits. Try to learn to accept things you can't change.     Think about problems under your control and make a plan to solve them. You could talk to your boss about difficulties at work or to family members about problems at home.     Know your stress triggers. Avoid whatever triggers you can. For example, spend less time with people who bother you or avoid driving in rush-hour traffic.     Make time to relax and to do activities you enjoy. Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply. Try to intentionally enjoy what you do rather than hurrying through your "relaxing activities" at a stressful pace.     Practice gratitude. Expressing gratitude to others can help reduce stressful thoughts. 9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and see your doctor regularly Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor to potential health complications. Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before you get started. Regular visits with your doctor are also key to controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have. If your blood pressure isn't well-controlled, your doctor will likely want to see you more frequently. 10. Get support Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition. source :  http://www.mayoclinic.org

Exercise: A drug-free approach to lowering high blood pressure

 

Having high blood pressure and not getting enough exercise are closely related. Discover how small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference. By Mayo Clinic Staff Heart-Healthy Living Your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) increases with age, but getting some exercise can make a big difference. And if your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help you control it. Don't think you've got to run a marathon or join a gym. Instead, start slow and work more physical activity into your daily routine. How exercise can lower your blood pressure How are high blood pressure and exercise connected? Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure. Becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). That's as good as some blood pressure medications. For some people, getting some exercise is enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication. If your blood pressure is at a desirable level — less than 120/80 mm Hg — exercise can help keep it from rising as you age. Regular exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight, another important way to control blood pressure. But to keep your blood pressure low, you need to keep exercising. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have an impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise. How much exercise do you need? Flexibility and strengthening exercises such as lifting weights are an important part of an overall fitness plan, but it takes aerobic activity to control high blood pressure. And you don't need to spend hours in the gym every day to benefit. Simply adding moderate physical activities to your daily routine will help. Any physical activity that increases your heart and breathing rates is considered aerobic exercise, including: Household chores, such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves or scrubbing the floor Active sports, such as basketball or tennis Climbing stairs Walking Jogging Bicycling Swimming The American Heart Association recommends you get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or a combination of both each week. Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. If you can't set aside that much time at once, remember that shorter bursts of activity count, too. You can break up your workout into three 10-minute sessions of aerobic exercise and get the same benefit as one 30-minute session. Weight training and high blood pressure Weight training can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure during exercise. This increase can be dramatic — depending on how much weight you lift. But, weightlifting can also have long-term benefits to blood pressure that outweigh the risk of a temporary spike for most people. If you have high blood pressure and want to include weight training in your fitness program, remember: Learn and use proper form when lifting to reduce the risk of injury. Don't hold your breath. Holding your breath during exertion can cause dangerous spikes in blood pressure. Instead, breathe easily and continuously during each lift. Lift lighter weights more times. Heavier weights require more strain, which can cause a greater increase in blood pressure. You can challenge your muscles with lighter weights by increasing the number of repetitions you do. Listen to your body. Stop your activity right away if you become severely out of breath or dizzy or if you experience chest pain or pressure. If you'd like to try weight training exercises, make sure you have your doctor's OK.

Medications for High Blood Pressure

 

High blood pressure is dangerous because it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, death.

“High blood pressure is often called the ‘silent killer’ because it usually has no symptoms until it causes damage to the body,” says Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., Deputy Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Many studies have shown that lowering the blood pressure with drugs decreases that damage.

 

A Lifelong Condition

Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of the body in vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing forward through the body and against the walls of the arteries. The higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and death.

Blood pressure is made up of two numbers:

• The “top” number is the systolic blood pressure—the pressure while the heart is pumping blood out. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this number should be less than 120 to be in the normal range.
• The “bottom” number is the diastolic blood pressure—the pressure while the heart is filling up with blood, getting ready to pump again. According to NIH, this number should be less than 80 to be in the normal range.

It was once believed that only diastolic pressure (the “bottom” number) was important, but this is not true. Elevated systolic pressure alone, particularly common in older people, is just as dangerous as elevations of both systolic and diastolic pressure.

Blood pressure is elevated for two main reasons:

• too high blood volume
• too narrow blood vessels.

Most of the time, the cause of a person’s high blood pressure is unknown. Once it develops, high blood pressure usually lasts the rest of the person’s life. But it is treatable.

Some people can lower blood pressure by losing weight, limiting salt intake, and exercising, but for most people, these steps are not enough. Most people need medication for blood pressure control, and will probably need it all their lives.

 

Types of Medications

FDA has approved many medications to treat high blood pressure, including

• Diuretics, or “water pills,” which help the kidneys flush extra water and salt from your body and decrease blood volume
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), reduce blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels
• Beta blockers, which also cause the heart to beat with less force
• Drugs that directly relax the blood vessels. These include calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and other direct dilators (relaxers) of blood vessels
• Alpha blockers, which reduce nerve impulses that tighten blood vessels
• Nervous system inhibitors, which control nerve impulses from the brain to relax blood vessels

Many people with high blood pressure will need more than one medication to reach their goal blood pressure. Your health care provider can tell you if you should be on medication and, if so, which drug(s) may be best for you.

back to top

Tips for Consumers

Controlling your blood pressure is a lifelong task. Blood pressure is only one of a number of factors that increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. High cholesterol and diabetes are other risk factors. Lifestyle changes—such as weight loss, a healthy diet, and physical activity—can affect all three risk factors, but many people will also need medications.

Take your medicines and monitor your blood pressure. Take the medications prescribed for you regularly and don’t stop them except on the advice of your health care provider. Hypertension tends to worsen with age and you cannot tell if you have high blood pressure by the way you feel, so have your health care provider measure your blood pressure periodically. You may also want to buy a home blood pressure monitor, available in many drug stores, to measure your blood pressure more frequently. Your health care provider or pharmacist can help you choose the right device. Many drug stores also have blood pressure measuring devices you can use in the store.

Tell your health care provider about any side effects you are having. Some side effects may go away over time, others may be avoided by adjusting the dosage or switching to a different medication.

Updated: May 1, 2014

For more about food, medicine, cosmetic safety and other topics for your health, visit FDA.gov/ForConsumers.

 

20 Diuretic Foods to Lower Blood Pressure and Lose Weight

 

Diuretic foods can be helpful if you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, or if you’re retaining water. Some dieters also use it to help them lose weight, and purging the body of excess fluid is good for your overall health and wellbeing. One option is to take water pills in order to get your body to release extra water and salt, but before going that route it may be a better idea to make a few dietary changes and see if that helps. Here are our picks for the best diuretic foods available to keep things natural.

1. Lemon
Adding lemon to your water doesn’t just make it taste better, it can help you if you have high blood pressure, and is often one of the first foods recommended to those suffering from certain medical conditions. It’s easy enough to start getting more lemon into your life, because it’s the juice that does the trick, so you don’t actually have to eat lemon slices or wedges, just add the juice to water or other foods and you’ll get the benefits. It is also used to help treat cases of urinary tract infection.

2. Oats
Oats consistently rank as one of the best foods to eat when losing weight, and surprisingly enough they have a diuretic effect on the body. Most of the time it’s hydrating fruits and vegetables that are diuretics, and oats seem to be a food that soaks things up, the way it soaks cholesterol up. But oats can also give you relief if you’re retaining water. This is just one more reason why a bowl of oatmeal makes a great start to your day, regardless if you’re dieting or worrying about your cholesterol levels.

3. Celery
Celery contains plenty of water, and will therefore get you to go more often. It’s great for hydrating the body, and recent research has shown that it’s not just the water we drink that hydrates us, but the water we take in from foods as well. If you don’t care for the taste of celery, or don’t like having to chew it up, try adding it to a diuretic smoothie with other fruits and vegetables found on this page. You’ll be giving your body a big boost of nutrition and also make it easier to digest and process.

4. Brussels Sprouts
Perhaps you don’t enjoy the taste of Brussels sprouts, but they’re so good for you that you may just have to learn to like them, or at least tolerate them. They are just one of several cruciferous vegetables to make our list, and this is a low calorie food that has plenty of antioxidants and is great for your overall health. If you can’t stand the thought of a pile of Brussels sprouts as your side dish, try mixing them with other vegetables or incorporate them into your main dish so you’re not just eating them straight up.

5. Ginger
It’s not easy to eat a lot of ginger, and luckily you don’t have to. Using it to zest up your meal, or adding a bit of ginger root to a glass of water will give you the benefits you need from it. It has a nice cleansing effect on the body, and is often used in detox programs to help flush out toxins. It also serves as a diuretic, and will help your body get rid of any built up fluid it may have. Next time you’re grocery shopping, buy some ginger root. You’ll be surprised how often you use it when you have it handy.

6. Beets
In addition to being a diuretic, beets are also a rich source of antioxidants and have a specific antioxidant, betalain, which is only found in a few select foods. When choosing what style of beet to eat, go for fresh beets that you can either grill, boil, or steam. These are better for you than the pickled variety, and will yield more antioxidants for better overall well-being for the body. Unfortunately most beets you’ll find for sale in supermarkets and grocery stores are the pickled kind, so you may have to check out a farmer’s market or other vegetable stand to find fresh beets.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has a number of uses, and one of those is that it’s a natural diuretic that can encourage your body to purge itself of unneeded fluids, leading to better urinary function and overall health. You can use apple cider vinegar to help purify water, and to help stir up a sluggish digestive system. You’ll also find it used in plenty of recipes, but if you’re trying to use it as a diuretic it’s best just to add it to water and drink it down. You don’t need to use very much of it in order to benefit from it.

8. Cabbage
Cabbage is a healthy food no matter how you cut it, and part of the benefits it provides is being a diuretic food. It’s also been shown to be helpful in preventing cancer, and is a vegetable that can help reduce the risk of heart disease. One great way to eat cabbage is in soup form. This entails chopping or shredding the cabbage so it’s easier to eat, and also cooking it until it’s very tender. The key is not to use too much salt when you make your cabbage soup, as that will reduce the diuretic effect of helping the body release stored up sodium.

9. Cranberry Juice
Perhaps you’ve heard that cranberry juice can be good for a urinary tract infection, and that’s partly because it acts as a diuretic. The nice feature of cranberry juice is that it leaves your potassium levels intact, and also provides extra antioxidants to help your body battle free radicals. Be sure to opt for organic cranberry juice for the most benefit, since you’ll be avoiding the use of conventional berries which most likely have been treated with chemicals during the growing and preservation process.

10. Eggplant
Eggplant acts as a natural diuretic, and there are some weight loss enthusiasts that will make a special “eggplant water” by boiling eggplants and drinking the leftover water in an effort to lose water weight. That’s a bit excessive, but you can still consume these a side dish to just about any meal and experience the side effects a diuretic provides.

11. Parsley
Not just a pretty adornment to your plate, parsley has several benefits to it, including being a natural diuretic. Parsley contains several types of antioxidants in one tiny package. You can add parsley to your water for a fresh taste, or you can use it more in your cooking if you don’t want to eat it directly. The tart taste can act to freshen your breath in the process, but it might be too strong for some palates.

12. Caffeinated Beverages
Any caffeinated beverage will serve as a diuretic, including coffee and tea. It’s best to weigh the pros and cons of the foods that you’re thinking of consuming for their diuretic effect. The caffeine in these beverages might be disadvantageous enough to the body to choose other foods and drinks that provide a similar function without the use of a chemical like caffeine.

13. Water
Even though it might sound counterintuitive, drinking water actually helps your body rid itself of excess fluid. Conversely, not drinking enough water can lead to your body retaining the water it has in order to try to keep its water levels where they need to be. If you want to increase its diuretic effect try squeezing the juice of a lemon into it, or drinking hot water with slices of ginger in it for a sort of ginger tea. These methods will amplify the diuretic effect because these add-ins are also on our list of diuretic foods.

14. Tomatoes
For the diuretic effect you’ll want to eat tomatoes raw. The best way to do this is on a salad, or blending them up for fresh tomato juice. If you don’t like the taste of plain tomato juice consider adding carrots or watermelon to it to increase the effect and improve the flavor. Tomatoes are also one of the healthiest foods you can eat, with their large amounts of the antioxidant lycopene they’ve been shown to help battle cancer and prevent heart disease of all types.

15. Cucumber
Cucumbers are made up mostly of water and are a very hydrating vegetable. This is why you’ll typically see them being used in detox recipes. They’ll get your urinary system going as well, and they are a food that can be used to help with diabetes, weight loss, and even cancer. That’s because cucumbers contain antioxidants as well as minerals the body needs daily to keep functioning at its best.

16. Watermelon
Watermelon is aptly named and contains a lot of water, and also gets you to go more, so you’ll be helping to flush your body of excessive water and salt. You’ll want to be careful not to each too much watermelon in one sitting, as it can be hard to stop eating this sweet fruit, but its sweetness can cause your blood glucose levels to spike and can negate the healthy benefits of this antioxidant-laden fruit.

17. Carrots
Carrots are often thought of for their benefit to eyesight, but they do have a host of other benefits, and being a natural diuretic is one of them. Carrots are great because they come in a few different varieties depending on how you want to use them. Baby carrots are great for having as a snack or going on top of salads. Regular sized carrots can get sliced and chopped for use in recipes or cooked up as a side dish to a meal. No matter how you go about eating them, you’ll still get all of the nutrients as well as the diuretic effect they provide.

18. Garlic
Garlic provides a cleansing effect, and also acts as a diuretic, which is all the more reason to use it in more of your cooking. It has yet to be shown that garlic pills are a diuretic as well, and it appears that eating garlic in it’s natural form, or in powder form, is the way to go if this is your goal. You don’t have to eat clove after clove of garlic to reap the benefits, and just using it as part of the cooking process should be enough to see results.

19. Artichokes
Artichokes can have a powerful diuretic effect, and can rival the effects of prescription medication in some instances. The good news is that artichokes are also good for the digestive system, so if you’re looking to lose weight it can help you on two levels. They’re also packed with vitamins and minerals, so you’re replenishing the body at the same time you’re helping it to rid itself of excess fluid.

20. Asparagus
Asparagus is one of the healthier vegetables around, so you’ll be getting plenty of nutrients in addition to the diuretic properties it has. Many have noted that eating asparagus makes their urine smell, and this is one way to see the connection between this veggie and your urinary system. The odor is caused by an acid found within the asparagus that reacts in a certain way. It’s not harmful to the body, and in fact the antioxidants found in asparagus is going to benefit you in countless ways.

Want To Lower Your Blood Pressure? Get Seven Hours of Sleep Nightly

 

Rosanne Olson/Photolibrary/Getty Images

Updated September 07, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.

  If your blood pressure is difficult to get under control, you may want to ask yourself how much sleep that you are getting each night. If you are not getting six to seven hours of sleep each night this can be a major impediment to lowering your blood pressure. Sleep deprivation has major consequences above and beyond higher blood pressure, including a  weakened immune system, increased work of the adrenal glands, decrease in cognitive abilities to name a few. Those who are middle aged (both men and women) and women seem to have a higher risk of resistant hypertension due to the effects of sleep deprivation.

There are several ways that sleep deprivation can contribute to high blood pressure.

1) Sleep deprivation impairs your circadian rhythms.

2) Sleep deprivation increases insulin resistance. Lack of sleep can actually increase your risk of developing diabetes. There is a connection between numbers 1 and 2, i.e, sleeping less hours can disrupt your body's rhythms. This influences hormone production which can impair the metabolism or processing of insulin and glucose. Higher insulin levels, due to the phenomenon of insulin resistance is linked to the development of hypertension.

3) Sleep deprivation is associated with the development of endothelial dysfunction. An article from the peer-reviewed journal Sleep in March 2014 actually examined this association. This was a laboratory based study, but the results were interesting and different from what I would have expected. The connection between high blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction is well-established and each can be a cause and effect of the other. This article demonstrated that the sleep deprivation causes endothelial dysfunction independent of blood pressure. Lack of sleep in the animals in this study caused there to be a lack of production of endothelial derived relaxing factor (EDRF) which dilates the blood vessel. This hormone is important over time for keeping the blood vessels elastic and pliable. This means that sleep deprivation, independent of its effects on blood pressure, can affect the health of the blood vessels over time.

4) Sleep deprivation can exaggerate the body's stress response. I have written about in prior blog posts the effects of increased cortisol secretion on diminishing sleep quality. This article from the journal Health Psychology in May 2014 looks at this from another angle: the body's reaction to stress is magnified big time. Lack of sleep can increase the body's secretion of cortisol in response to a stressful event. Many, if not all of us, deal with multiple stressors, both physical and psychological on a daily basis. Our body's ability to deal with these stresses can be compromised because of increased cortisol production in reaction to these stressful events.

5) Lack of sleep causes weight gain. This article talks about " sleep debt" and its relation to weight gain. This is likely due to the cumulative effects of numbers 1-4 listed here in addition to other mechanisms that are theorized in the chapter. Again, sleep is important in keeping the body in balance.

How Can You Get Out of Sleep Debt?

One of the biggest ways is to shut off the cell phone, computer, smart phone and all unnecessary electronic media. This probably contributes to late nights and sleep debt. Realize that sleep is a necessary part of your life for your over health, not a commodity that can be exploited.

The more that we learn about the science of health and high blood pressure, in many ways, it means going back to the basics: eating right, exercising, and getting a good night's sleep.

Temperament may contribute to cardiac complications in high blood pressure

---

Temperament has been traditionally associated with high blood pressure. A new study that has appeared in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has substantiated this issue.

Major depression and coronary heart disease have a strong, bidirectional relationship. A type A behavioral pattern, as well as cyclothymic disorder, is a subclinical manifestation of bipolar illness, and in cardiovascular patients may result in extreme behavioral changes detrimental to cardiac prognosis.

To further characterize this most vulnerable group, Authors examined the affective temperamental traits (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire, TEMPS-A) on depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious subscales, ICD-10-diagnosed depression and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) in relation to cardiac complications (CC) requiring acute hospitalization (acute coronary syndrome, acute myocardial infarction) in a primary hypertensive outpatient population.

Results showed that patients with CC scored markedly higher on the cyclothymic temperament scale (p = 0.027) than those without CC. Also, cyclothymic temperament significantly predicted CC independently of depression (either ICD-10-diagnosed or depressive symptoms), age, gender and smoking in hypertensive outpatients.

Even though, the study presents some limitations (cross-sectional nature hinders drawing a causal relationship, the relatively small sample size and low proportion of CC restrict generalizability), the findings shed light on the possible role of affective temperaments in cardiovascular morbidity and carry the advantage of exploring trait-like characteristics which precede and also determine the type of depression affecting the clinical outcome. Further research in the field would enrich the preventative options in clinical medicine in the future.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Ajandek Eory, Sandor Rozsa, Peter Torzsa, Laszlo Kalabay, Xenia Gonda, Zoltan Rihmer. Affective Temperaments Contribute to Cardiac Complications in Hypertension Independently of Depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2014; 83 (3): 187 DOI: 10.1159/000357364

'Virtual human' shows that stiff arteries can explain cause of high blood pressure

 

---

High blood pressure is highly age-related and affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. But doctors can't fully explain the cause of 90 per cent of all cases. A computer model of a "virtual human" suggests that stiff arteries alone are enough to cause high blood pressure.

"Our results suggest that arterial stiffness represents a major therapeutic target. This is contrary to existing models, which typically explain high blood pressure in terms of defective kidney function," says Klas Pettersen, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and first author of the study, recently published in PLOS Computational Biology.

High blood pressure is a major source of morbidity and mortality, because it makes individuals more prone to heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.

When blood pressure travels down the aorta from the heart, a special group of cells in the aortic wall, called baroreceptors, sense the pressure in this stretch of the aortic wall and send signals with this information to the nervous system.

If the blood pressure is too high, these cells send stronger signals and the body is able to lower blood pressure. However, if the aorta gets stiffer, as typically happens with age, this stretch of the aorta is not as sensitive as it once was in measuring blood pressure. Thus, although a person's blood pressure may have increased, the baroreceptors do not signal as intensively as they should and the body does not get the message to lower blood pressure.

"With the stiffening of the wall that follows aging, these sensors become less able to send signals that reflect the actual blood pressure. Our mathematical model predicts the quantitative effects of this process on blood pressure," says Pettersen.

"If our hypothesis is proven right, arterial stiffness and baroreceptor signaling will become hotspot targets for the treatment of high blood pressure and the development of new medicines and medical devices," says Stig W. Omholt from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who was the senior investigator of the research project.

With the use of existing experimental data and models of the aging human aorta, the researchers were able to show quantitatively how the stiffening of the aorta with age causes the baroreceptors to misinform the central nervous system about blood pressure, thus preventing the system from downregulating blood pressure. The model predictions were compared with data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT2), which is composed of information on the health history of 74,000 people, including blood sample collection from 65,000 people.

NTNU's Omholt says that the study is a good example of how very complex human disease can be understood by use of mathematical models and thus allow for much better treatment strategies.

"If we are to succeed in developing predictive, preventive and participatory medicine envisioned by so many, there is no substitute for building much stronger transdisciplinary ties between the life sciences, the mathematical sciences and engineering across the whole spectrum of basic, translational and applied research. And mathematical models of the human physiology will be at the core of this development," he says.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Klas H. Pettersen, Scott M. Bugenhagen, Javaid Nauman, Daniel A. Beard, Stig W. Omholt. Arterial Stiffening Provides Sufficient Explanation for Primary Hypertension. PLoS Computational Biology, 2014; 10 (5): e1003634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003634

Living near foreclosed property linked to higher blood pressure

 

May 12, 2014

American Heart Association

This study provides the first evidence that foreclosed properties may increase neighbors' blood pressure. Neighborhood environment is an important social determinant of cardiovascular health, including blood pressure. The scale of the recent U.S. housing crisis has prompted the public health community to seek a better understanding of how foreclosure activity might impact health. The number of foreclosures spiked in the United States in 2007-10 when more than 6 million homeowners fell behind on their mortgages and banks took ownership of the homes, or foreclosed.

---

Living near foreclosed property may increase your risk of higher blood pressure, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

The study provides the first evidence that foreclosed property may affect neighbors' systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading.

Neighborhood environment is an important social determinant of cardiovascular health, including blood pressure. The scale of the recent U.S. housing crisis has prompted the public health community to seek a better understanding of how foreclosure activity might impact health. The number of foreclosures spiked in the United States in 2007-10 when more than 6 million homeowners fell behind on their mortgages and banks took ownership of the homes, or foreclosed.

Researchers reviewed data from 1,740 participants (mostly white, 53 percent women) in 1987-2008 in the Framingham (Massachusetts) Offspring Cohort, which is part of the Framingham Heart Study. The researchers distinguished between real-estate-owned foreclosures, which are owned by lenders and typically sit vacant, and foreclosures purchased by third-party buyers, which are generally put into productive use.

Researchers found each additional foreclosed property within 100 meters (328 feet) of participants' homes was associated with an average increase of 1.71 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure. The association only applied to properties that were real-estate owned and there was no effect from foreclosed properties more than 100 meters from participants' homes.

"The increases in blood pressure observed could be due in part to unhealthy stress from residents' perception that their own properties are less valuable, their streets less attractive or safe and their neighborhoods less stable," said Mariana Arcaya, Sc.D., M.C.P., study lead author and Yerby Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies in Cambridge, Mass. "Safety could also be a concern that affects their ability to exercise in these neighborhoods."

"Healthcare providers, particularly those serving neighborhoods still recovering from the recent housing crisis, should be aware of foreclosure activity as a possible source of unhealthy stress for residents," Arcaya said.

Because the study involved predominately white, middle-class, suburban neighborhoods with single-family homes, research on different populations in urban and rural settings is needed, Arcaya said.

High blood pressure affects nearly 76 million people in the United States and is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke. Risk factors include genetics, advanced age, poor nutrition and excessive body weight and alcohol consumption. Stress and other factors may also contribute to high blood pressure.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by American Heart Association. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Mariana Arcaya, M. Maria Glymour, Prabal Chakrabarti, Nicholas A. Christakis, Ichiro Kawachi, and S V Subramanian. Effects of Proximate Foreclosed Properties on Individuals' Systolic Blood Pressure in Massachusetts, 1987-2008. Circulation, May 2014 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006205