AHA News: This May Be Why Slashing Salt Lowers Blood Pressure

MONDAY, May 13, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Slash sodium from your diet. That's the advice inevitably given to everyone.

Restricting sodium intake has been key to reducing blood pressure. Now researchers may have found an underlying mechanism to explain why.

Work Stress, Poor Sleep, High Blood Pressure a Deadly Trio

MONDAY, April 29, 2019 -- Job stress, high blood pressure and poor sleep may be a recipe for an early death, German researchers report.

In a study of nearly 2,000 workers with high blood pressure who were followed for almost 18 years, those who reported having both a stressful job and poor sleep were three times more likely to die from heart disease than those who slept well and didn't have a trying job, the investigators found.

Strict Blood Pressure Limits for Kids Tied to Heart Health Later

MONDAY, April 22, 2019 -- Tighter high blood pressure guidelines for children might better spot those at risk for heart disease in adulthood, a new study suggests.

Compared to 2004 guidelines, the updated 2017 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics increased the number of children considered to have high blood pressure.

An Afternoon Nap May Lower Your Blood Pressure

THURSDAY, March 7, 2019 -- Want a daytime pick-me-up that may also benefit your blood pressure? Take a nap, researchers suggest.

"Midday sleep appears to lower blood pressure levels at the same magnitude as other lifestyle changes," said Dr. Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece.

FDA Says Patients Can Take Tainted Blood Pressure Meds Until Shortages End

FRIDAY, April 5, 2019 -- As Americans face shortages of widely used blood pressure drugs due to contamination with potentially cancer-causing impurities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said patients can safely take the tainted drugs in the short term.

As the agency explained, the risk of stroke and other problems from stopping the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) medications -- drugs such as losartan and valsartan -- far outweighs than the potential threat of cancer from briefly taking the impure drugs.

AHA News: Could Beetroot Fight Salt-Induced High Blood Pressure?

THURSDAY, March 28, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Adding tiny amounts of beetroot or dietary nitrate to salty food products might help prevent high blood pressure, according to a preliminary study of rats.

While findings in animals may not translate to humans, researchers of the new study -- released Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension -- hope to find a new tool to help battle the epidemic of high-salt diets, a major risk factor for hypertension.