The new blood pressure guidelines involve alcohol and medicine earlier

High blood pressure is a silent killer, warn the experts and almost half of us, adults, are in danger.

The main health groups say that it is preferable to act as soon as possible to prevent long -term damage – and they also recommend cutting alcohol.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have teamed up with 11 other organizations to publish new guidelines, published on August 14 in magazines and hypertension to the Reading Committee of the American Heart Association, as well as in Jacc, the Flaghip Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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The new recommendations, which have been refined thanks to a rigorous process by peers, represent the first major update of blood pressure since 2017.

The guidelines detail how doctors attack hypertension and how people can take measures to manage their own, emphasizing prevention, early treatment and the protection of heart and brain health.

The main health groups say that it is preferable to act as soon as possible to avoid long -term damage to high blood pressure. (istock)

“Highter blood pressure is the most common and most widespread modifiable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases,” Fox News Digital Daniel W. Jones, chairman of the Directives and Professor Emeritis of the Fox News Digital at the University of Mississippi, told Fox News.

“The members of the writing committee continuously follow new evidence since the last directive published in 2017,” he added.

What changed

Instead of using graphics at a single size, the new approach focuses on the prevention method (preventing the risk of events of cardiovascular disease), a tool that calculates the risk of cardiac crisis of 10 and 30 years of a person.

In addition to blood pressure, he also considers cholesterol, kidney health, metabolic problems and geographic location.

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Directives also urge doctors to act earlier. This could mean prescribing drugs earlier or drawing on new options such as GLP-1 drugs for some patients.

Another new recommendation was to reduce alcohol – a change compared to previous advice for people to limit consumption.

“We offer the ideal as abstinence, and for those who choose to drink, less than one for women and less than two for men.”

“Many people like to drink, but because the evidence is there, we want you to make an informed decision,” said Jones.

“There is a lot of individual variability with the relationship between alcohol and blood pressure, but we offer the ideal as abstinence, and for those who choose to drink, less than one for women and less than two for men.”

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Jones described the new alcohol advice one of the two “most notable changes in the 2025 directives”, as well as the reduction in sodium intake from 2300 mg per day to 1500 mg per day.

Experts also highlighted the need to manage blood pressure during pregnancy to protect mothers and babies.

Certain standards have remained the same in the updated directives, such as eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. (istock)

Some of the previous standards always apply, such as managing stress through exercise and maintaining healthy weight, with a target of at least a 5% reduction in body weight in overweight or obese adults.

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Nutrition remains a major factor, with recommendations for eating a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and low or non -oily dairy, as well as lean meats and poultry, fish and non -tropical oils.

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These habits, combined with previous medical intervention if necessary, could considerably reduce long -term complications, according to experts.

The blood pressure criteria remain the same as the 2017 directives, as shown in the graph below.

The American Heart Association released this infographic showing the corresponding readings of blood pressure ranging from a normal hypertensive emergency. (American Heart Association)

Research shows that control of blood pressure earlier in life can also help prevent dementia and preserve brain health.

“There is now clearer and robust evidence than the intensive lowering of blood pressure reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” added Jones.