With all of the symptoms women can experience during menopause, nighttime hot flashes may be the worst, as well as the most common. While most of us think of them as pain in the rear, there’s a darker side to them every woman should be aware of. As well as the one thing she can do to reduce the threat they pose to her heart health.

One of the most interesting things about the human body is how it works together. That’s why for healthy blood pressure, you need a healthy gut. The reason? It all comes down to how certain foods are metabolized, particularly flavonoids, which are known to have great effects on blood pressure levels. But the results may not be the same for everyone…

The aorta, the main artery coming into the heart, becomes gradually stiffer with age, even without other risk factors, like smoking or obesity. This stiffening is the main reason the risk of hypertension increases as we get older. But even if weight is a problem, you might be surprised to find you don’t have to starve to make a significant difference in your heart health…

Metabolic syndrome is bad enough on its own since it raises your risk of problems like heart attack, stroke and diabetes, not to mention premature death. But when combined with chronic kidney disease, the cluster of conditions that make up metabolic syndrome can send those risks into the stratosphere. Here’s how to avoid them…

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects how the body takes in and uses glucose or sugar. Both genetic and environmental factors can play a part in the development of diabetes. And because diabetes affects many systems in the body it can increase the risk for other serious diseases as well. Here’s what you need to know about those risks…

If you snore so loudly you wake up your sleep partner, and even yourself, sleep apnea could be to blame. But sleep apnea is a much bigger worry than just snoring. While that may not surprise you, a sneaky culprit behind sleep apnea just might, as well as the fact that it could leave you vulnerable to high blood pressure and the dangers that come with it.

Do you have any of the following symptoms? Obesity, belly weight, high cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar? If the answer is yes to any of these, you have metabolic syndrome. When your metabolism is altered, it dramatically increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

You have high blood pressure. You do all the right things and your doctor has you on handfuls of medications. Yet, when the nurse checks your blood pressure, the numbers remain stubbornly above the 140/90 threshold. If this sounds familiar, you’re suffering from what’s known as resistant hypertension. And research suggests you are far from alone…

When it comes to keeping all your bodily systems healthy, the fact that refined grains are “out” and whole grains are “in” is no longer new news. But it turns out, there are very specific benefits for older adults on five major risk factors for heart disease, including waist size…

Fewer than 40 percent of people with high blood pressure meet the recommended exercise guidelines to bring their readings down. If you’re one of them, you might be thrilled about a simple breathing technique that, in just five minutes a day, lowered blood pressure far more than the exercise and some medications doctors recommend.

Potatoes have gotten a bad rap for years, especially that baked potato slathered in butter and sour cream. And don’t get me started on those French fries covered in salt and ketchup. Hypertension waiting to happen, right, or is it? Well, it’s time to think again about the humble potato and what it may do for your blood pressure.

You might want to ask your dotor about your prescriptions. If they’re treating your cholesterol, you could end up with double the dementia risk. If it’s your blood pressure, they may have you on the medication found to thicken blood vessels and makes things worse. Maybe it’s time to walk away with a brand new and surprising prescription.