Small amounts of licorice raise blood pressure, study finds
It is known that large amounts of liquorice cause high blood pressure. A study by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, now shows that even small amounts of liquorice raise blood pressure. The individuals who react most strongly also show signs of strain on the heart. Liquorice is produced from the root of plants of the […]
Interventions Can Reduce CVD Risk Factors in HIV Patients, Studies Show
DENVER — Efforts aimed at lowering blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol in people with HIV can succeed, two randomized trials presented here demonstrated. In the first, prehypertensive Haitians on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) who received early treatment with a calcium channel blocker experienced significantly greater reductions in systolic and diastolic BP compared with those who […]
Cut salt, cut blood pressure
Nearly everyone can lower their blood pressure, even people currently on blood pressure-reducing drugs, by lowering their sodium intake, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “In the study, middle-aged to elderly participants reduced their salt intake by about 1 teaspoon a day compared […]
Women with a heart healthy diet in midlife are less likely to report cognitive decline later
Women with diets during middle age designed to lower blood pressure were about 17 percent less likely to report memory loss and other signs of cognitive decline decades later, a new study finds. Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new findings suggest that a mid-life lifestyle modification — adoption of the […]
Two probiotics identified as promising hypertension treatments
An estimated 40% of the global adult population have high blood pressure, or hypertension, which puts people at risk of cardiovascular disease and other dangerous health conditions. Recent studies suggest that probiotics may offer a protective effect, but researchers have a limited understanding of why shaping the gut microbiota can regulate blood pressure. A study […]
CPAP Turns in Mixed Results for Patients With Diabetic Eye Disease
Long-term use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) slowed the progression of eye disease in sleep apnea patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a small randomized study showed, but patients who adhered to the intervention ended up with more retinal microhemorrhages. In the single-center trial, the group assigned to a year of CPAP atop usual care […]
Lorundrostat Stands a Chance Against Obesity-Related Hypertension
Among selected people with uncontrolled hypertension, blood pressure (BP) could be successfully reduced with a highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor, a phase II dose-finding trial found. In hypertensive patients with suppressed renin — theoretically the group most likely to benefit from reining in aldosterone production — reductions of automated office systolic BP reached up to […]
Positive Airway Pressure Linked to Less Late-Night Heart Burn Problems
Positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was linked to reduced respiratory symptoms and nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER), an Icelandic study found. After 2 years, full PAP users reported a decrease in both nGER (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.58, 95% CI 0.40-0.86) and wheezing (aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.88) compared with non-users, […]
You’re Probably Working Out Harder Than You Need To Be
The pressure to have a “good workout” can be intense thanks to fitness trackers and influencers on social media. As a result, many people define a good workout as exercise with lots of sweat and a super-high heart rate ― not a more moderate fitness regimen like walking or yoga. But that’s wrong. Studies show […]
Polypill Tested for Cognitive, Functional Benefits
Reducing blood pressure and cholesterol in the TIPS-3 trial with a polypill, with or without aspirin, showed no protective effect on cognition in older adults with cardiovascular disease risk factors, a secondary analysis showed. During a 5-year follow-up, about the same number of trial participants in TIPS-3 experienced substantive cognitive decline in both the treatment […]