March 25, 2011 - Many people with a diagnosis of hypertension would not need to seek treatment because they would no more likely to die prematurely than those with a pressure "normal". That's the conclusion of a study conducted at the University of Minnesota by the team of Brent Taylor, who analyzed the blood pressure of more than 20,000 people for 20 years.
At the end of the study, it appeared that many participants with too high pressure, according to the current definition of societies of cardiology (pressure above 120/80 mmHg), showed no increased mortality compared with people who normal blood pressure.
According to Brent Taylor, 100 million Americans could well be misclassified as hypertensive. He believes it is time to redefine the standards: "If mortality is greater when the pressure is higher than 120/80, then antihypertensive therapy may do more harm than good. "
In fact, this new study shows that it is important to consider both values of blood pressure separately. The higher figure corresponds to the pressure of blood in the vessels when the heart contracts (systolic pressure), while the lowest figure reflects blood pressure when the heart relaxes (diastolic pressure).
After age 50, mortality increases as the systolic pressure is above 140, regardless of the value of the diastolic pressure. However, before 50 years, the study suggests that elevated diastolic pressure is more risky: the mortality increases to values greater than 100 (while it increases only to a systolic pressure above 200). Brent Taylor proposes that this study will serve as a "starting point" to redefine the concept of hypertension, so that the guidelines reflect the systolic and diastolic isolation.
March 16, 2011 - A type of drug commonly prescribed to people suffering from hypertension , of diabetes and cardiovascular disease , beta-blockers, causes weight gain in the long term, confirms an analysis of 3 studies in Australia.
In each study, conducted by the same team of researchers have compared the weight gain in patients treated with beta-blockers and witnesses who were not. In all, studies have focused on 11 468 subjects with hypertension or diabetes.
The results indicate that, compared to control groups, those taking beta-blockers - for an average of 5 years to 9 years, according to studies - consistently showed a higher weight. The difference between the 2 groups ranged from 5 kg to 20 kg and was still statistically significant.
Why beta-blockers do they grow?
In one study, conducted among 30 subjects, the authors measured 2 thermogenesis (heat saline) following a meal and physical activity level of subjects, whether or not treated with beta-blockers. The results indicate that patients treated, thermogenesis was reduced by half compared to that could be observed in others. Moreover, the activity level of subjects was 30% lower compared to untreated subjects.
The researchers concluded that beta-blockers tend to reduce thermogenesis, causing a greater accumulation of fatty tissue, as well as increased oxidation of fat in the body. A reduced thermogenesis and increased oxidation of fat create more fatigue during exercise, explaining that the subjects treated with beta-blockers tend to exercise less.
According to researchers, patients who take beta-blockers in the long term should be more vigilant about theirweight by closely monitoring their diet and doing more of exercise . You can also ask his doctor to use another type of drug, or one of the beta-blockers for the latest generation, which would be less than the old antithermogéniques.
