Data from nearly 2,400 women was analyzed and researchers determined that women with pre-existing hypertension were 55% more likely to develop depression than women without high blood pressure. Low birth weight, premature births and postpartum depression have all been liked to depression during pregnancy.

For more information see:
“Hypertension Before Pregnancy Tied to Depression During” By Judith Groch, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today. Published: November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011 online from

http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/29664.

New research indicates that those with high blood pressure have difficulty interpreting emotions on people’s faces and text messages, called “emotional dampening”. The research focused on African-Americans and it is hypothesized that the emotional dampening may be a result of the way high blood pressure effects the nervous system.

For more information see:
“High Blood Pressure May Lead To Missed Emotional Cues: Study” Huffingtom Post. Published 11/8/11. Retrieved 11/11/11 from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/high-blood-pressure-leads-to-missed-emotional-cues_n_1080746.html.

Using information from over 56,000 mothers collected from the Nurses’ Health Study II, researchers discovered a correlation between mothers who breastfed, and the duration for which they did so, with a reduction in their risk for high blood pressure. They found that mothers who breastfed their first born exclusively for six months were 22% less likely to develop high blood pressure then those who did not breastfeed their baby. They also found that women who breastfed for at least a year were 25% less likely to develop high blood pressure then those who had never breastfed or who had done so for three months or less.

More research is needed before a direct cause and effect relationship can be established.

For more information see:
“Breastfeeding tied to lower blood pressure risk” Health24.com. November 2, 2011. Retrieved 11/3/2011 from http://www.health24.com/news/Hypertension/1-921,67280.asp.

http://www.health24.com/news/Hypertension/1-921,67280.asp

Researchers discovered that women with high blood pressure, whether they were receiving treatment or not, are more likely to have babies with congenital heart, brain or spinal cord defects. The study used data from over 460,000 women and their babies from 1995 to 2008.

ACE inhibitors used in the second and third trimester of pregnancy carry the FDA’s most serious warning for birth defects, but this study could indicate that women on ACE inhibitors in early pregnancy with unplanned pregnancies don’t need to be as concerned as previously believed. For those planning pregnancy, it reenforces the importance of controlling high blood pressure before trying to get pregnant.

For more information see:
“High Blood Pressure in Early Pregnancy Raises Birth Defect Risk” Associated Press. Published October 19, 2011. Retrieved online a10/20/2011 from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/19/high-blood-pressure-in-early-pregnancy-raises-birth-defect-risk/#ixzz1bL3SxrYK.

The research focused on the health records of over 65,000 middle-aged women from the Nurses’ Health Study II. They found that when compared to women without restless legs symptoms, women with restless legs were 1.20 times more likely to also suffer from hypertension. Researchers also discovered that the more often one suffered from restless legs symptoms, the more likely they were to have high blood pressure.

For more information see:

Gao X, et al “Restless legs syndrome and hypertension in middle-aged women” Hypertension 2011; 58: 791-796. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/early/2011/10/09/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.174037.abstract.

The study used records from over 500,000 adults who participated in blood pressure and stroke related studies. Researchers discovered that those who were pre-hypertensive had a 55% increased risk of stroke. Those with blood pressure in 130-139 range systolic were 79% more likely to suffer from a stroke than those with normal blood pressure.

If further research confirms these findings it could have a significant impact on blood pressure treatment recommendations.

For more information see:
“Slightly raised blood pressure, pre-hypertension linked to stroke risk”
By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY. Updated 09/28/2011. Retrieved online 10/13/2011 from http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011-09-28/Slightly-high-blood-pressure-pre-hypertension-linked-to-stroke-risk/50590960/1.

Potatoes have developed an unfair reputation of being high-starch and full of empty calories, but that is not the case. In reality an average sized potato (approximately 5.3 oz) including its skin only has 110 calories, no fat and contains 45% of the recommend vitamin C needed daily, as well as 620 mg of potassium comparable to bananas, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. They also have high levels of antioxidants. And new research has indicated that making potatoes, particularly purple, a regular part of your diet may help with lowering blood pressure.

Eighteen hypertensive patients, most of whom were on antihypertension medications, were tracked in the study. Participants either ate 6 to 8 small potatoes twice a day or no potatoes at all for four weeks. At the end of the study the participants who ate potatoes dropped their blood pressure by 3.5% systolic and 4.3% diastolic, which is nearly the same as oatmeal.

More research is needed and the study has not yet been peer reviewed, but the results are intriguing.

For more information see:

“Purple Potatoes Lower Blood Pressure: Minus the Fatty Fixings, Antioxidants in Potatoes May Lower Blood Pressure”. By Jennifer Warner for WebMD Health News. Published online August 31, 2011. Retrieved online 10/9/2011 at

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20110830/purple-potatoes-lower-blood-pressure.

“Washington Potatoes Are Nutritious” Washington State Potato Commission. Retrieved online 10/12/2011 from

http://www.potatoes.com/nutrition.cfm.

A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that an increase of 100 foreclosures was correlated to a 7.2% increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for hypertension, 8.1% increase for diabetes, 12% more anxiety related visits and 39% more suicide attempts for those ages 20-49.

For more information see:
“Tying Health Problems to Rise in Home Foreclosures” By S. Mitra Kalita. Wall Street Journal: Real Estate. Published online

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904199404576538293771870006.html

For ten years the Swedish participants aged 45-79 years completed a questionnaire asking questions about their diet and lifestyle. It was discovered that there was a statistically significant correlation between stroke and processed meats, such that those who ate the highest amount of processed meat had a greater change of stroke (relative risk 1.23) when compared to those who ate the least. Those who ate the most fresh red meat also had a slightly higher risk of stroke (relative risk 1.07) but the relationship failed to reach statistical significance.

Further research is needed before declaring a direct cause and effect relationship.

For more information see:

“Red meat consumption and risk of stroke in Swedish men”. Susanna C Larsson, Jarmo Virtamo, and Alicja Wolk. Am J Clin Nutr 2011 94: 2 417-421; First published online June 8, 2011. Retrieved online 8/19/2011 from http://www.ajcn.org/content/94/2/417.abstract.

“Processed Meats Linked to Increased Stroke Risk” by Barbara Boughton. Medscape News Today > Medscape Medical News > Neurology 8/19/2011. Retrieved online 8/19/2011 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/748324.

The findings were the result of an analysis of the data gathered during the INternational VErapamil Trandolapril STudy (INVEST). Participants who reported NSAID use at every study visit were considered chronic users (approximately 8 visits over roughly 2.7 years). They analysis revealed that for the 882 chronic users the risk of death, myocardial infarction or stroke was 4.4 per 100 patient years vs the 21,694 non-chronic users who had a risk of 3.7.

For more information see:
“Harmful Effects of NSAIDs among Patients with Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease”. Anthony A. Bavry, Asma Khaliq, Yan Gong, Eileen M. Handberg, Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff, Carl J. Pepine. The American Journal of Medicine – July 2011 (Vol. 124, Issue 7, Pages 614-620, DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.02.025). Retrieved online 8/18/2011 from http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343%2811%2900264-6/abstract.