Whenever you visit a doctor, they usually check your blood pressure. The result includes two numbers—one on top and one on the bottom.
For a long time, doctors have paid the most attention to the top number. But new research shows that the bottom number is also important and could help predict serious health problems.
The top number is called systolic pressure. It shows how hard your heart pushes blood through your arteries when it beats. The bottom number is called diastolic pressure. It tells you the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart is resting between beats.
In the past, doctors mostly focused on high systolic pressure as a warning sign for heart disease or stroke. The diastolic number was often ignored, especially in older adults.
But that thinking is now starting to change. A new study from Kaiser Permanente, a large healthcare organization in the U.S., shows that both numbers matter. Researchers looked at over 36 million blood pressure readings from more than 1.3 million adults living in Northern California.
The readings were taken over nine years, from 2007 to 2016, making this one of the biggest studies ever done on blood pressure and heart risk.
The results were clear. People with higher diastolic pressure were also more likely to have heart attacks or strokes—even if their systolic pressure was normal. Systolic pressure still had the strongest effect on heart health, but the diastolic number played a big role too. This means that high diastolic pressure is a warning sign that shouldn’t be ignored.
This finding supports newer health guidelines, which say that blood pressure should be kept lower to better protect the heart. In the past, doctors aimed to keep blood pressure below 140/90.
But many experts now recommend a lower target of 130/80. No matter which goal is used, the message is the same: both numbers in your blood pressure reading are important for your heart.
So, what does this mean for everyday people? First, it shows how important it is to get your blood pressure checked regularly. Second, it means that you should talk with your doctor about both numbers in your reading—not just the top one. If either number is too high, it could raise your risk for serious health problems later.
This research was led by Dr. Alexander C. Flint and published in the *New England Journal of Medicine*, one of the top medical journals in the world. It’s a reminder that science is always learning and improving. As we learn more, we get better tools to take care of our health.
If you don’t know what your blood pressure numbers mean, now is a good time to ask your doctor. Keeping both numbers in a healthy range can help protect you from heart disease, stroke, and other problems. You can do this through regular exercise, eating a heart-healthy diet, reducing stress, and taking medicine if your doctor recommends it.
Taking care of your blood pressure is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to protect your heart and your future.
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