The study involved 945 patients with high blood pressure who were enrolled in a workplace antihypertensive treatment program from 1981 to 1998. The patients were given a single antihypertensive medication as part of the study.

Researchers say that a statistically significant percentage of participants actually had increases in their blood pressure readings, despite taking medication. They suggest that doctors could avoid this problem – and select drugs most suitable for their patients – by measuring blood levels of the enzyme renin through a blood test that is becoming more widely available.

"Our findings suggest that physicians should use renin levels to predict the most appropriate first drug for treating patients with hypertension," said lead author Michael Alderman, M.D. "This would increase the likelihood of achieving blood pressure control and reduce the need for patients to take additional antihypertensive medications."

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent it.

The study followed more than 6,100 individuals, aged 55 years and older, for a period of more than 20 years.

It found that, compared to non-drinkers with normal blood pressure, the risk of cardiovascular death in men with blood pressure of at least 168 /100 was three times higher overall. In addition, the results show that men who drank more than six drinks on one occasion were four times more likely to die, and men who drank more than 12 drinks on one occasion were 12 times more likely to die.

Researchers say that they could not confirm the same findings for women, because only a very small percentage of female study participants reported binge drinking.

Hypertension and binge drinking each contribute to cardiovascular disease but have been rarely studied together, researchers said.

The American Heart Association advises moderate alcohol consumption, if any. Men should limit their intake to two drinks per day and women should limit theirs to one drink per day.

According to Reuters, the FDA began its investigation following the release of a study that suggested that the class of drugs known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) increased the risk of cancer.

That study, published in the medical journal Lancet, examined data from more than 1,000 patients in several long-term clinical trials. It found the rate of new cancer cases was 7.2 percent for patients who took an ARB compared with 6 percent among patients who did not take one of the drugs.

The medications in question include Novartis AG’s Diovan, Merck & Co’s Cozaar and Avapro from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Sanofi-Aventis SA.
The FDA said it has not yet determined if ARBs increase the risk of cancer. However, the agency said that it, "believes the benefits of ARBs continue to outweigh their potential risks."

According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

Natural ways to control and prevent hypertension include lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise as well as supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic.

Scientists analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination, which involved more than 4,500 American adults over the age of 18 with no prior history of high blood pressure. Study participants answered questions related to their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products and candy.

The study found that those who consumed the largest amounts of sugar (more than 74 grams per day) in their diets had an increased risk for hypertension.

"Our study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor for high blood pressure," said the study’s lead author, Diana Jalal, M.D. "However, well-planned prospective randomized clinical studies need to be completed to see if low fructose diets will prevent the development of hypertension and its complications."

Hypertension is the most common chronic condition in developed countries and a major risk factor for heart and kidney diseases.

Experts say it can be prevented with lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, as well as nutritional supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic.

Researchers gave either inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers, and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in their circulation.

"We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure," said study author Amrita Ahluwalia. "We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed – just 250ml – to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study, the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate."

Beetroot juice is available in natural food stores. Individuals can make their own as well. However, experts say it is very potent and should be diluted at least four times with other juices, such as carrot, apple, cucumber or celery.

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease. In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent it.

Researchers combined the results of 15 previous studies for their findings. They looked at the effects of flavanols, the compounds in chocolate that cause dilation of blood vessels, on blood pressure.

"Flavanols have been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and consequently may lower blood pressure," said researcher Karin Ried, Ph.D. "There have, however, been conflicting results as to the real-life effects of eating chocolate. We’ve found that consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure."

Researchers say the pressure reduction seen in the combined results for people with hypertension is comparable to the known effects of 30 daily minutes of physical activity and could theoretically reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event by about 20 percent over five years.

According to WebMD, researchers studied 810 adults aged 25 to 79 with pre-hypertension or early stage 1 hypertension who were taking part in an 18-month study designed to prevent or reduce high blood pressure with weight loss, exercise, and diet.

Study participants drank an average of 10.5 fluid ounces of sugar or high fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverages a day including non-diet soft drinks, fruit drinks, lemonade, and fruit punch when the study began.

Cutting their soda intake in half resulted in a 1.8 point reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 1.1 point drop in diastolic pressure, a reduction some healthcare officials call "substantial."

"Soda consumption is so popular and high blood pressure is a very significant health problem, and if you reduce sugary drinks, you will reduce your blood pressure in the short term and reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke over the long term," said researcher Liwei Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent it.

According to HealthDay, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that half of hypertensive individuals are controlling their condition.

"The good news is that blood pressure control has improved very substantially over the years," said the study’s lead author, Brent Egan, M.D. "It went from 27 percent of all hypertensives to 50 percent, with most of the progress since 2000. Awareness of high blood pressure improved from 69 to 81 percent, and the number of hypertensives on treatment improved from 54 percent to 72 percent."

Egan and his colleagues used data from a series of national health surveys running between 1988 and 2008 for the results. High blood pressure was defined as a reading of 140/90 or higher.

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent it.

HealthDay reports that researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research and Harvard Medical School studied 419 men and women over the age of 65. The participants underwent walking speed monitoring as well as ultrasound testing to gauge blood flow to the brain. They also reported on how often they had fallen in the previous two years.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that the 20 percent of participants who experienced the smallest brain blood flow changes were 70 percent more likely to fall than those among the 20 percent with the largest brain blood flow changes.

Seniors with the highest blood flow rate fell on average fewer than once per year, while those with the smallest blood flow rate fell almost 1.5 times per year.

"Our findings suggest there could be a new strategy for preventing falls, such as daily exercise and treatments for high blood pressure, since blood pressure affects blood flow in the brain and may cause falls," said the study’s lead author Farzaneh Sorond, M.D, Ph.D.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of adults over the age of 65 fall each year, with 30 percent suffering moderate to severe injuries, including hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries.

German researchers analyzed the effects of air pollution exposure on blood pressure over a course of three years on 5,000 individuals enrolled in an on-going study on heart disease.

They found that blood pressure rose in conjunction with increases in fine particulate matter caused by combustion sources such as traffic, heating, industry and power plants.

"Both, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, are higher in people who live in more polluted areas, even if we take important factors that also influence blood pressure like age, gender, smoking, weight, etc. into account," said the study’s author, Barbara Hoffman, M.D. "Blood pressure increases were stronger in women than in men."

High blood pressure increases the risk for atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, which leads to cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.

Several large studies in Europe and the United States are already under way and are expected to shed more light on the chronic effects of living in polluted areas.