'Lifesaving' blood pressure study recommends even lower benchmarks

Lowering blood pressure below the current recommended benchmarks could significantly decrease the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and death, a new study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute revealed Friday. The study's release comes a year ahead of schedule because federal health officials declared it had revealed "potentially lifesaving information."
In what NPR calls the largest study ever conducted, researchers examined the systolic blood pressure of 9,300 men and women over the age of 50 to find out if lowering it below the current recommended goal would be beneficial. The results: A resounding yes. The New York Times reports:
"The study found that patients who were assigned to reach a systolic blood pressure goal below 120 — far lower than current guidelines of 140, and 150 for people over 60 — had their risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes reduced by a third and their risk of death reduced by nearly a quarter." [The New York Times]
About one-third of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, The New York Times reports. The new study is expected to reshape guidelines for addressing high blood pressure in the future and will likely result in even lower target benchmarks. "This is a very big deal," Mark Creager, president of the American Heart Association told The New York Times. "I believe that this study will serve as a roadmap towards saving a significant number of lives."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published