Blood Pressure

On Monday, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health released study results showing that red meat consumption was associated with a higher risk of early death. The more red meat -- beef, pork or lamb, for the purposes of the research -- study participants reported they ate, the more likely they were to die during the period of time that data collection took place (more than 20 years). So what is it in red meat that might make it unhealthy?   No one is sure, exactly, but the authors of the Harvard study mention a few possible culprits in their paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine .   First, eating red meat has been linked to the incidence of heart disease.  The saturated fat and cholesterol in beef, pork and lamb are believed to play a role in the risk of coronary heart disease .  The type of iron found in red meat, known as heme iron, has also been linked to heart attacks and fatal heart disease.  Sodium in processed meats may increase blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Other chemicals that are used in processed meats may play a role in heart disease as well, by damaging blood vessels.

Those long commutes so typical of Southern California may be doing more than boring you and raising your fatigue level: They also raise your blood pressure and make you fatter, researchers reported Tuesday. For higher blood pressure, the effects kick in at about 10 miles, while for obesity they show up at about 15. Those who traveled the farthest to work every day were also those who were least likely to get adequate exercise. They probably also were more likely to eat fast food and to snack in the car, and were more highly stressed.

Studies consistently show that lowering blood pressure significantly lowers the risk of stroke and also, though less dramatically, the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and kidney problems. Drugs may be necessary sometimes, especially when blood pressure is dangerously high, but other things can help. Maybe you need to exercise a little harder and eat a little less (or sleep a little longer and stress a little less). As you read, bear in mind: The evidence for blood pressure-lowering is stronger for some lifestyle measures than others.

Arnold Palmer was not at the 18th green, waiting to congratulate Tiger Woods after his win at Bay Hill on Sunday. But the golfing legend's presence was felt following his namesake tournament. "I know he puts his heart and soul into this event," Woods said of Palmer, 82, who was hospitalized that afternoon due to high blood pressure from new medication. Palmer was kept overnight as a precaution but is expected to be released from Dr. Phillips Hospital after lunchtime Monday barring complications, according to Scott Wellington, tournament director of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

As people gain weight, their blood pressure tends to go up. Fortunately, as they lose weight, their blood pressure tends to go down -- but only so far, says Dr. Karol Watson, co-director of preventive cardiology and director of the hypertension clinic at UCLA. "If your body weight is normal, getting below doesn't help," she says. Even modest weight loss (say, 5% to 10% of your current heft) is effective at lowering blood pressure for those who have high blood pressure or prehypertension.

What is a safe home remedy for severe night sweats and hot flashes? I am burning up. There are enough alternatives that you should be able to tailor something that will work for you. Keep your bedroom cool. Exercise regularly: Research shows that active women have less trouble with hot flashes. Herbal products such as Pycnogenol (pine bark extract), Remifemin (black cohosh extract) or St. John's wort (hypericum extract) may help (Menopause, February). :: I take atenolol for high blood pressure.

I was diagnosed recently with borderline hypertension. My internist has prescribed the diuretics HCTZ and spironolactone. My reactions to those have been headache, nausea and intestinal upset. We also have tried Coreg, Norvasc, Accupril and lisinopril. My reaction to those medications has been severe migraine-like headaches. Are there any alternative therapies for treating hypertension? There are many ways to treat high blood pressure, but you will need to work with your doctor to make sure the tactics you adopt work for you. As one reader of this column has noted, "Losing a little weight (even just 10 pounds)

For some people, lifestyle measures are enough to keep blood pressure under control. But they're not enough for everyone. For one thing, "many patients are not willing to change their lifestyle," says Dr. Peter Rudd, professor of medicine emeritus at the Stanford University School of Medicine. A case in point: In one study of exercise and blood pressure, participants were expressly told to follow certain exercise regimes, and these led to blood pressure reductions. But the longer the trials were, the smaller the blood pressure reductions they yielded.

If you want to improve the health and fitness of your heart and blood vessels, you can. Basic lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise and smoking can make a big difference. It also helps to keep an eye on some key numbers, including blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood glucose. Last year, the American Heart Assn. winnowed all this advice into a checklist called Life's Simple Seven. For each item on the list, the AHA set criteria that define ideal cardiovascular health.

I have taken naproxen regularly for several years, having had knee replacement and shoulder surgery. When I take naproxen, my blood pressure goes up from 115/70 to about 145/94. I was told my blood pressure problem was unrelated to the drug, but when I quit taking naproxen, my blood pressure went back down to 115/70. A recent report from Denmark (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, July 2010) involved reviewing the health records of more than 1 million people taking NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)

Spending more time being active may improve blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and reduce waist circumference for children regardless of how much time they spend sedentary, a study finds. Researchers reviewed 14 studies that included 20,871 children age 4 to 18 and analyzed data on how much time they spent sedentary, how much they spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity, and health measures such as waist circumference, blood pressure, trigylcerides, HDL cholesterol and insulin.

Drinking three cups of black tea daily over months may help lower blood pressure, a study suggests. In a research paper released this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine , black tea was tested against a placebo to see whether drinking the beverage over time had any effect on lowering blood pressure in male and female test subjects, ages 35 to 75. The 95 study participants had systolic blood pressure readings ranging from 115 to...

A man with two hearts--one his own, one a donor heart--was resuscitated via a defibrillator when both organs developed irregular heart rhythms, a case study reports. The study, published online recently in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine , chronicles the life-saving measures used in 2010 to save the 71-year-old, who received the donor heart in 2003. He had also received a pacemaker in 2001. The heart was implanted in a heterotopic procedure, which means the patient keeps his heart and receives a donor heart.

High blood pressure usually concerns only people middle-aged and older. But a new study suggests that high blood pressure in early adulthood spells future heart problems and that it shouldn't be ignored. Researchers from the United States and United Kingdom followed almost 19,000 male students from Harvard who had their blood pressure measured when they entered college between 1914 and 1952. These men also responded to a health questionnaire mailed in the 1960s when they were an average age of almost 46. Assessments of death and cause of death were made in 1998.

The first clinical trial to test the effects of resveratrol -- the plant compound plentiful in red wine and grapes -- on humans has found that a small daily dose of a purified resveratrol supplement lowered blood pressure and improved a wide range of human health measures in a small group of obese men. The study , conducted in the Netherlands and published this week in the journal Cell Metabolism, found that men taking 150 milligrams of...

For middle-aged women, restless legs syndrome may come with an elevated risk of high blood pressure, researchers say. Restless legs syndrome is characterized by crawling sensations and repeated muscle twichings in one or both legs, and an uncontrollable urge to move them -- which may compel a person to walk in circles for hours at night.  Some health experts, as this earlier post points out , have doubted that it's a "syndrome worthy...

Just as American Heart Month begins, a reader sent in a question on checking blood pressure at home -- which, as it turns out, is more nuanced than it looks. So what's the proper way to go about it? There are a couple of concerns when using a home monitoring device to measure blood pressure: which arm to use, and how long to wait before testing. Luckily, the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Assn. have some guidance on the subject. There's usually a slightly measurable difference in blood pressure between your arms, according to the heart association . Your dominant arm will probably be higher.

My blood pressure medicine was recently switched to Cozaar. After taking my pills this morning, my mouth and tongue swelled up so I could barely talk. Could my medicine have done this? Cozaar (losartan) is a very effective blood pressure medicine, with relatively few side effects. Some people, however, are susceptible to a reaction called angioedema. Typically, this is characterized by swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat.

I can't think of a better way to begin this column than to let a fellow pundit get things going. So I'll turn things over to Allene Arthur, who's been writing columns for the Palm Springs Desert Sun for 32 years: "Fiftieth high school class reunions are a dime a dozen," Arthur wrote in a note to me recently. "Sixtieth reunions are rare enough to get our attention. But a 70th class reunion is an uncommon big deal. The Manual Arts High School class of Summer, 1941, will hold its 70th on October 3....

High blood pressure that's only a little above normal might increase the risk of stroke, researchers found. The researchers analyzed data from 12 studies with a total of 518,520 participants to assess the stroke risk of slightly elevated blood pressure, also known as prehypertension. The review was released online Wednesday in the journal Neurology . Almost one-third of the U.S. population is believed to have prehypertension, defined as systolic pressure between 120 and 139 and diastolic pressure between 80 and 89. Normal blood pressure is a systolic reading of less than 120, and a diastolic measure of less than 80. In general, the studies revealed that slightly elevated blood pressure was linked with a 50% higher risk for stroke compared with people with normal blood pressure, even after controlling for variables such as obesity, diabetes, smoking and age. In the seven studies that divided slightly high blood pressure into a low range (systolic pressure between 120 and 129 and diastolic pressure between 80 and 84)