In a new study from Cedars-Sinai, researchers found that women have a lower “normal” blood pressure range compared to men.
Currently, established blood pressure guidelines state that women and men have the same normal healthy range of blood pressure.
But the new research shows there are differences in normal blood pressure between the sexes.
The first number in a blood pressure reading is called systolic pressure and measures the force of the blood against the artery walls as your heart beats.
The second number is the diastolic pressure, the blood pressure against the artery walls between heartbeats.
For years, 120 mmHg has been considered the normal upper limit for systolic blood pressure in adults.
Persistent elevations above this limit amount to hypertension–which is well known as the key risk factor for common cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
In the study, the team examined blood pressure measurements conducted across four community-based cohort studies, comprising more than 27,000 participants, 54% of whom were women.
In doing so, the research team identified that while 120 mmHg was the threshold of risk in men, 110 mmHg or lower was the threshold of risk in women.
Systolic blood pressure levels that were higher than these thresholds were associated with a risk of developing any type of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, heart failure, and strokes.
The team also found that women had a lower blood pressure threshold than men for risk of each specific cardiovascular disease type, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
These findings confirmed that women have different biology and physiology than men and also explained why women may be more susceptible to developing certain types of cardiovascular disease at different points in life.
The team says they are now pushed to rethink what they thought was normal blood pressure that might keep a woman or a man safe from developing heart disease or stroke
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about chemicals in food that may harm your blood pressure, and this eating habit may reduce diabetes-related high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about 5 things you need to know about blood pressure before it’s a problem, and results showing lingonberry juice can help lower high blood pressure.
The study is published in Circulation and was conducted by Susan Cheng et al.
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