Recent research published by the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago indicates that loneliness could be directly tied to high systolic blood pressure in some older Americans.
The study involved 229 participants aged 50-68 years from Illinois. Even after accounting for other factors, such as access to medical services, demographic variables and psychological factors, loneliness was shown to be linked to increases as great as 30 points systolic. For instance, the scale the researchers used to measure loneliness had 6 main levels. For every …

According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is the number 1 modifiable risk factor for stroke and approximately 21.3.% of people with hypertension do not know they have the condition. It can lead to a plethora of health problems such as heart attack, stroke, vascular dementia, angina, heart failure, kidney failure, peripheral arterial disease, aneurysm and it can even make blood vessels in the eyes burst or bleed.
High blood pressure facts:

In 2005, high blood pressure was reported as a primary or contributing cause of death for 319,000 …

If you are carrying a few extra pounds, weight loss may be an excellent way to lower your blood pressure naturally. According to the Surgeon General, high blood pressure is twice as common in obese individuals when compared to those at a healthy weight. Research also shows that when overweight persons drop their weight by 10 pounds it can not only naturally lower their blood pressure but can significantly cut their chances of becoming hypertensive. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment …

A major study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded that 9 out of 10 middle-aged and older US adults are likely to develop high blood pressure over their remaining lifetime. The researchers also found that the lifetime probability of receiving antihypertensive medication was 60%.
Researchers emphasized that it is widely accepted that hypertension can be avoided with appropriate lifestyle changes. The study authors also wrote,
The approach of waiting for hypertension to develop and only then treating the elevated blood pressure is injudicious. As articulated by …

A major study reviewed the diets of over 36,000 women for 7 years and they discovered an apparent correlation between a diet designed to lower blood pressure and heart failure.
The women in the study were between 48 and 83 years old and at the beginning of the study did not have a history of heart failure, diabetes mellitus or myocardial infarction. Using food-frequency questionnaires, the researchers compared participant’s diets to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet guidelines. After adjusting for variables such as age and socioeconomic background, they …