While researchers are still hedging a bit – they are not sure if it’s the blood pressure or a side effect of the medication that actually slows Alzheimer’s – it’s certainly promising news for those who have or might have the disease.
What Is Blood Pressure?
The arteries, veins and capillaries that carry blood through the body are known as blood vessels. Arteries deliver oxygen and nutrients to tiny, thin-walled capillaries that feed the energy to the body’s cells, while taking back waste material and carbon dioxide for elimination by passing them back to veins, which take the blood away to the heart and lungs. The process goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number in a blood pressure readout. It measures the force the heart uses to transmit blood through the arteries. The harder the heart works, the higher the number. The optimal number typically is less than 80 mm HG. Higher readings are indicative of high blood pressure or the propensity for it.
The systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading. This is the pressure of the arteries during a heartbeat. The best number is less than 120. A higher number may indicate the arteries are becoming stiff or a buildup of plaque is causing issues.
Maintaining Optimal Blood Pressure
Whatever the ultimate answer may turn out to be, it’s never a bad idea to work on lowering blood pressure as a means to better overall health. It’s definitively clear that blood pressure is a major factor in heart disease, strokes, kidney disease and other problems in the body.