Blood Pressure News and Research

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Blood Pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is taken using two measurements: systolic (measured when the heart beats, when blood pressure is at its highest) and diastolic (measured between heart beats, when blood pressure is at its lowest). Blood pressure is written with the systolic blood pressure first, followed by the diastolic blood pressure (for example 120/80).

Climate change increases stroke risk through extreme weather and pollution

The World Stroke Organization is warning that climate change poses an escalating threat to brain health, with extreme heat in particular increasing the risk of having a stroke and of patients dying from stroke.

30 Apr 2026

Routine blood tests years before conception may predict pregnancy risks

Small abnormalities in blood sugar, blood lipids and inflammation several years before pregnancy are linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open.

30 Apr 2026

New genetic risk test estimates inherited risk for cardiovascular conditions

Researchers at Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute and collaborators have developed and validated a new genetic risk test that can estimate a person's inherited risk for eight common cardiovascular conditions, offering a more comprehensive approach to prevention.

29 Apr 2026

Nerve fibers within melanomas found to slow tumor growth

Nerve fibers within melanomas can slow the growth of these tumors, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

29 Apr 2026

Cumulative cardiovascular health from early adulthood predicts lower disease risk

The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score is a health tool, ranging from 0 to 100, that quantifies cardiovascular health (CVH) using information from eight lifestyle and risk factors, (body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, physical activity, diet, smoking, and sleep.

28 Apr 2026

Study links socioeconomic stressors to worse pregnancy outcomes for black women

Stresses experienced by black women, such as socioeconomic inequalities, may alter key processes in the body that predispose them to worse pregnancy outcomes than white women, a study by the University of Cambridge has found.

28 Apr 2026

New scientific statement defines brain health across life

Brain health isn't determined only by genetics or what happens later in life. A growing body of research shows that a range of factors-from mental health and sleep to environment, lifestyle and social conditions-play a powerful role in shaping how the brain functions and ages.

28 Apr 2026

The simple link between core strength and brain health

The brain is more mechanically connected to the body than previously appreciated, scientists reported today (April 27) in Nature Neuroscience. Through a study using mice and simulations, the team found a potential biological mechanism underlying why exercise is thought to benefit brain health: abdominal contractions compress blood vessels connected to the spinal cord and the brain, enabling the organ to gently move within the skull.

28 Apr 2026

Noninvasive brain monitoring reveals hidden oxygen deprivation in ICU patients

In neurological intensive care, it is quickly learned that the brain cannot wait. As the most sensitive organ in the human body, it can sustain irreversible damage after just a few minutes of severe hypoxia.

27 Apr 2026

GLP-1 drugs promise wider health benefits, but experts urge caution on use

GLP-1 receptor agonists are reshaping care for type 2 diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, with evidence for glycemic, weight-loss, cardiovascular, and renal benefits. The review urges nurse practitioners to balance expanding clinical promise with careful prescribing, patient education, monitoring, access advocacy, and vigilance for gastrointestinal, endocrine, pregnancy-related, and rare serious risks.

27 Apr 2026

Twice-yearly blood pressure treatment could reshape hypertension care, but doctors warn against a “fire-and-forget” approach

Long-acting RNA interference therapy for hypertension could shift blood pressure control from daily pill-taking to scheduled, system-led protection. But the authors warn that this “vaccine-like” model must preserve lifestyle support, monitoring, and follow-up to avoid clinical disengagement.

27 Apr 2026

Advanced heart, kidney and metabolic disease linked to higher cancer risk

People with advanced heart, kidney and metabolic disease may face a higher risk of developing cancer, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes.

27 Apr 2026

New blood filtering treatment safely extends pregnancy in severe preeclampsia

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed and successfully tested a new treatment for pregnant women with severe early preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth as well as maternal and fetal death.

27 Apr 2026

Yoga to help manage obesity-related heart and metabolic risks

The impact of yoga on heart health in obesity is modest, suggesting it as a complementary approach for improving metabolic outcomes in high BMI populations.

27 Apr 2026

Scientists will probe whether processing itself makes ultra-processed foods harmful

A randomized controlled trial protocol will test whether the cardiometabolic risks linked to ultra-processed foods stem from industrial processing, poor nutrient composition, or both. Using four controlled diets, researchers will separate the effects of UPF content from saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium on LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood pressure.

26 Apr 2026

Ultra-processed foods linked to measurable drops in human attention span

New research from Monash University, the University of São Paulo and Deakin University shows a diet high in heavily processed foods can negatively impact the brain's ability to focus and increases the risk of developing dementia.

25 Apr 2026

Losing weight improves heart muscle contraction in people with obesity and heart failure

In a new research report, a team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins Medicine say people with severe obesity and a common type of heart failure experience weakened heart muscles, and that losing weight may reverse some of these effects.

25 Apr 2026

Preliminary model developed to improve cardiovascular risk prediction in Latin America and the Caribbean

A preliminary model to improve the prediction of cardiovascular risk in Latin America and the Caribbean was presented today at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2026, the annual congress of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

24 Apr 2026

Drinking coffee alters your microbiome, mood, and memory

Coffee consumption influences the microbiota-gut-brain axis, affecting cognitive performance and emotional regulation through complex biological pathways.

24 Apr 2026

APOLLO AI learns from 25 billion medical events to predict future disease

APOLLO is a multimodal temporal foundation model trained on 25.2 billion medical events from 7.2 million patients across 33 years of Mass General Brigham records, integrating 28 medical modalities into unified “virtual patient representations.” Across 322 downstream tasks, the model showed strong performance in disease prediction, treatment-response stratification, hospital operations, and patient retrieval, supporting the idea of more computable, data-driven medicine.

23 Apr 2026