According to a landmark study, controlling blood pressure key in preventing stroke, heart disease. Learn more about the study here.
In follow-up data from the SPRINT study, it turns out that aggressive blood pressure management greatly reduces heart disease risk. Furthermore, researchers found that it can also lower the risk of stroke and death from these conditions.
To achieve this, a person has to lower their systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) is the top number in a blood pressure monitor.
Jackson T. Wright Jr., M.D., Ph.D., and Mahboob Rahman, M.D., played a lead role in the SPRINT trial. They are investigators from the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
More than 9,300 people participated in the trial, which suggests that more aggressive blood pressure management is beneficial. “This final report of the findings from SPRINT… confirms the benefit of more aggressive BP lowering compared the previously recommended target of less than 140/90 mmHg,” said Wright.
Study: Controlling Blood Pressure Key in Preventing Stroke, Heart Disease
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) sponsored the randomized controlled clinical trial. It began in late 2009 and consisted of more than 9,000 participants who were 50+ years old. Moreover, they had an SBP between 130 to 180 and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The primary outcome of the trial was a lower risk of having a cardiovascular disease outcome linked to blood pressure. These outcomes included stroke, heart attack, acute heart failure, acute coronary syndrome without a heart attack, or death from cardiovascular disease.
According to the final results, the risk of the primary outcome decreased by 27%. Furthermore, death from all causes decreased by 25% in the less than 120 mm Hg group. Cora E. Lewis, M.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, and primary investigator of the study had this to say:
“One criticism of the original SPRINT findings was that, of the components of the primary outcome, only heart failure and death due to CVD were significantly lower in the intensively treated group.”
She continued: “The final results found that risk of heart attack, along with heart failure, and death from CVD, was significantly lower in the group treated to less than 120, and the risk of the primary outcome excluding heart failure was still significantly lower in the more intensively treated group.”
Improving Blood Pressure
While aggressive blood pressure management seems to be the most effective approach, preventing hypertension is even better. To maintain your blood pressure at a healthy range (or decrease the risk of developing hypertension), make some lifestyle changes.
For example, you can start exercising regularly and follow a diet plan like the DASH diet. Another thing you can try is taking heart supplements like L-arginine Plus.
Its ingredients work together to increase nitric oxide production, a natural vasodilator that improves circulation. Try L-arginine Plus along with exercise and a healthy diet if you want to promote healthy blood pressure and heart health.