High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

Physical activity protects heart health regardless of weight loss

With obesity now affecting more than 40% of U.S. adults and fueling rising rates of heart disease, a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association calls for a comprehensive treatment approach that puts physical activity front and center.

1 Jun 2026

Survey reveals critical knowledge gaps in maternal health recommendations

Most Americans know that how well a mother takes care of herself before and during pregnancy affects the health of a baby, but many people remain unclear about some specific maternal health recommendations, including when to start avoiding alcohol, according to a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

29 May 2026

How do everyday spices help protect the heart?

A Nutrition Reviews supplement article reviewed controlled studies showing that culinary spice and herb blends may improve selected cardiometabolic risk markers, including post-meal triglycerides, insulin responses, inflammation, endothelial function, and 24-hour blood pressure. The review also highlighted exploratory evidence that spices and herbs may influence immune-cell activity, circulating phytochemical metabolites, and gut bacterial composition, while emphasizing the need for longer and more diverse studies.

27 May 2026

Engineers develop wearable ultrasound patch for continuous fetal monitoring

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a soft, wearable ultrasound patch that can continuously monitor a fetus for hours at a time - and it can do so consistently even as the fetus and umbilical cord constantly move during pregnancy.

26 May 2026

Research show worsening health trends for post-1946 generations

Younger generations appear to be experiencing poorer health earlier in life than previous generations, according to a review of studies comparing national birth cohort datasets involving tens of thousands of people across the UK born since 1946.

22 May 2026

Common food preservatives linked to higher cardiovascular disease risks

Eating foods that contain common preservative food additives may increase the risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, according to research published in the European Heart Journal today.

21 May 2026

Migraine with aura linked to higher ischemic stroke risk in middle-aged and older adults

Migraine with aura was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in middle-aged and older people, according to a study published May 20, 2026, in Neurology Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 May 2026

Higher marine microplastics may signal greater stroke and chronic disease burden in coastal communities

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19 May 2026

New obesity medications offer a potent tool for combating hypertension

A meta-analysis of 32 studies and 43,618 adults presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that use of new classes of obesity drugs for weight loss is associated with a clinically relevant drop in blood pressure (BP): a 0.34 mmHg reduction in systolic BP per 1\% weight loss.

15 May 2026

Study traces adult heart disease risk back to the womb

A child's future heart health may be partially shaped before they are born, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study that found pregnancy complications are linked to poorer cardiovascular health in offspring more than 20 years later.

14 May 2026

New research maps the biological toll of drinking

A new review published in the journal Addiction confirms drinking causes substantial harm to health. Some of those harms may be reversible if the person reduces or stops drinking.

14 May 2026

Global hypertension burden rising sharply in lower-income countries

In theory, hypertension is a disease that is both easy to test for and readily treatable with existing medications and lifestyle interventions.

13 May 2026

Fine particle pollution may quietly damage brain function over time

The air pollution we breathe daily could be harming more than just our lungs and hearts. New research from McMaster University suggests that fine particles from traffic, industry and wildfire smoke is linked to worse cognitive function.

13 May 2026

Perimenopausal women face higher risk of low heart health

Perimenopausal women were two times more likely to have a low cardiovascular health score compared to women having regular menstrual cycles, according to an analysis of nationwide U.S. data published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

13 May 2026

Combined workouts and HIIT significantly lower daily blood pressure

Aerobic and resistance training combined, and high intensity interval training (HIIT), are associated with significant reductions in blood pressure over 24 hours, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence for several different types of structured exercise, and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

13 May 2026

Legumes and soy foods may help reduce hypertension risk

A higher dietary intake of soy and legumes is linked to a lower risk of high blood pressure, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

8 May 2026

Heart disease risk prediction tool proves effective across global populations

A tool developed by the American Heart Association (AHA), proven to accurately predict heart disease risk for Americans, can be applied to the global population, a new study led by NYU Langone Health shows.

7 May 2026

Ultra processed foods linked to higher cardiovascular disease and death

People who eat more ultra processed food (UPF) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a report published in the European Heart Journal today (Thursday).

7 May 2026

CGRP inhibitors may reduce glaucoma risk among migraine patients

A type of drug used to prevent migraine may be associated with a reduced risk of glaucoma, according to a study published May 6, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 May 2026

Bariatric surgery offers greater long-term health protection for seniors than GLP-1 drugs

Metabolic and bariatric surgery offers significantly greater long-term protection against heart attack, stroke and death than widely-used GLP-1 drugs in older adults with obesity and diabetes, according to new real-world analysis study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

6 May 2026