How Blood Pressure Affects Artery Health in Men
Blood pressure and the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged men.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Diastolic blood pressure showed no independent link to artery thickening progression.
For decades, diastolic pressure has been a key focus in hypertension management, especially in younger and middle-aged adults. This challenges that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Pay closer attention to your systolic blood pressure number—it may be a better indicator of early heart disease risk than the diastolic.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Diastolic blood pressure showed no independent link to artery thickening progression.
For decades, diastolic pressure has been a key focus in hypertension management, especially in younger and middle-aged adults. This challenges that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Pay closer attention to your systolic blood pressure number—it may be a better indicator of early heart disease risk than the diastolic.
Publication
Journal
Hypertension
Year
1999
Authors
T. Lakka, R. Salonen, G. Kaplan, J. Salonen
Related Content
Claims (4)
Even if your blood pressure or cholesterol isn't high enough to be diagnosed as a problem, having them a little elevated over time can still quietly damage your blood vessels.
For men in their 40s and 50s, having higher top-number blood pressure is linked to faster buildup in neck artery walls over four years, even if other risks are accounted for — suggesting that high systolic pressure matters a lot for early heart disease.
In middle-aged guys, how high the bottom number of your blood pressure is doesn’t seem to matter much for early artery thickening over four years—especially once you account for the top number, which might be more important.
For middle-aged guys, how hard your blood pushes between heartbeats might show early signs of artery hardening — even if other blood pressure numbers are accounted for.