Healthy blood pressure equals a healthy heart. Or so we’ve been told. But, according to recent research findings, relying on normal blood pressure as a sign that a heart attack or stroke is not in your future has painted a pretty picture that’s been revealed to be nothing but a facade — a false sense of security that could put you in deadly danger.

Saying 2020 has been a year like no other may be an understatement. Safer-at-home practices have kept most of us isolated in our homes for months on end. While these measures mean to keep us safe, if you’re a woman the social isolation could be raising your blood pressure as much as a high salt diet or weight gain!

Flavanols are natural antioxidants found in certain fruits and vegetables as well as tea and cocoa. They have well-researched benefits that just keep piling up, like substantially lowering blood pressure to help support arteries and prevent strokes.

Resveratrol may be great for your heart, but there’s another natural antioxidant that your body absorbs much more easily, and that does the same thing and more! Found in blueberries or supplements, it just may be the help your blood pressure is looking for…

Have you ever wondered why salt can lead to or worsen high blood pressure? Even stranger, why are young people less sensitive to salt’s effect on blood pressure? Curious researchers have found it comes down to slowed production of an anti-aging factor known as the Klotho protein…

A 54-year-old man in Massachusetts died after his heart stopped suddenly. The cause? Eating too much black licorice over the course of a few weeks. How could overindulging in candy cause someone’s heart to stop? Well, it turns out black licorice contains a compound that can trigger high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and put your life in serious jeopardy…

If you’re living with diabetes, you already know how important it is to embrace a healthy lifestyle. From diet and weight loss to exercise, these interventions can help you better manage your glucose levels and prevent complications down the road. Now there’s one more lifestyle factor to pay close attention to if you want to avoid increasing the high blood pressure danger that comes with diabetes.

It’s been drilled into our heads for decades that fat is bad. With obesity comes a higher risk of all kinds of disorders, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers. But recent research has found that fat may not always be a harbinger of a health problem on the horizon. In fact, if you’ve got thick thighs, you may breathe a sigh of relief…

Chronic kidney disease is surprisingly common. People living with the disease have damaged kidneys that are unable to filter out bodily wastes and fluids efficiently. This leaves harmful levels of wastes circulating in the body, which can damage other organs (like your heart and brain). So, how can you keep your kidneys safe and healthy? Follow these six lifestyle changes…

There are trillions of bacteria, both good and not-so-good, colonizing your gut. Now, researchers have uncovered the staggering extent to which those bacteria impact your health. It turns out bacteria are directly tied to specific diseases. Time to get serious about your microbiome…

There’s no lack of research comparing the detrimental effects of a meat-heavy diet with the blood pressure-lowering benefits of a plant-based diet. But all plant-based foods are not equal. In fact, if you’re eating the right plant foods, you can still eat meat and lower your blood pressure without feeling deprived. Here are some of the best diets to choose from…

Despite how sudden strokes seem, there are often clues that hint a stroke could be on the horizon years before it happens. The biggest clue is metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that include things like high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol levels. Luckily, researchers have recently developed a simple online calculator you can use to gauge your risk…