Harvard Medical School:The new blood pressure guidelines: What you need to know

 

Week in Review Your weekly check-in for better living THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLE The new blood pressure guidelines: What you need to know Has a doctor has ever told you that your blood pressure is a little high — but never prescribed any medication for it? Or maybe you’ve been taking drugs for high blood pressure (hypertension) for years, but still struggle to reach your blood pressure goal. Either way, you’ve got plenty of company. Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, defined as 130/80 milligrams of mercury (mm Hg) or higher. Even if your blood pressure is only slightly elevated (see “Blood pressure categories”), you should be aware of the latest blood pressure guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, published in the October 2025 issue of the journal Hypertension. They reinforce the importance of getting your blood pressure below 130/80 — and, if needed, taking medications sooner rather than later. READ MORE → Get your copy of Take Control of Your Blood Pressure An alarming one in three American adults has high blood pressure. Known medically as hypertension, many people don't even know they have it because high blood pressure has no symptoms or warning signs. But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy to detect and treat. In the Special Health Report Take Control of Your Blood Pressure, find out how to keep blood pressure in a healthy range simply by making lifestyle changes such as losing weight, increasing activity, and eating more healthfully. READ MORE → MORE FEATURED CONTENT Ask the Doc: Is it normal for my joints to click? Are your joints getting noisier with clicks, pops, or creaks? It might be nothing, or a sign of something more. In this "Ask the Doc," find out what’s normal and when to talk to your doctor. Click to see the full answer. Read more with our premium HHO+ subscription. READ MORE → Lessons from women on longevity It’s a fact that women live longer than men. However, that longevity gap in the United States has become wider, according to a study published in the January 2024 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. The difference in life expectancy between men and women increased to 5.8 years in 2021 (the latest year for which data is available), the largest gap since 1996. Today, the average woman lives to approximately age 81, and the average man to approximately age 76, according to recent figures from the CDC. Why the gap? READ MORE → Get your copy of A Guide to Men's Health Fifty and Forward This Special Health Report, A Guide to Men's Health: Fifty and Forward, offers steps and strategies to lessen — or prevent — threats to a man's well-being and longevity. It provides a wide-ranging, clear-eyed look at the leading causes of death for men at midlife and beyond. It examines those factors that put them at risk for a variety of health problems, and explains the important measures that can be taken to reduce risk and live a longer, healthier life. READ MORE → What raises your risk for gynecologic cancer? After Dr. Katharine Esselen broke the news to one of her patients that she had vulvar cancer, which accounts for fewer than 1% of gynecologic malignancies, the woman was astounded — and perplexed. “I didn’t even know I could get a cancer down there,” she told Dr. Esselen, a gynecologic oncologist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. No matter the type, however, cancers of the ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina, or vulva tend to fly under the radar because they strike far fewer women over all compared with breast cancer... READ MORE → FEATURED CONTENT A Guide to Women's Health Fifty and Forward Taking stock of your health at midlife Understanding your health risks SPECIAL BONUS SECTION: 10 steps to a longer and healthier life Minimizing potentially disabling disorders Coping with chronic conditions Click here to learn more » SUBSCRIBE | SHOP THE BOOKSTORE Age and muscle loss As the years pass, muscle mass in the body generally shrinks, and strength and power decline. The process begins earlier than you might think. Sarcopenia—defined as age-related muscle loss—can begin at around age 35 and occurs at a rate of 1-2 percent a year for the typical person. After age 60, it can accelerate to 3 percent  a year. The loss may be mild, moderate, or severe—or muscles can remain in the normal range. Get your copy of Strength and Power Training Studies attest that strength training, as well as aerobic exercise, can help you manage and sometimes prevent conditions as varied as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It can also protect vitality, make everyday tasks more manageable, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Strength and Power Training for Older Adults answers your strength training questions and helps you develop a program that's right for you.   SHOW ME MORE → But on average, adults who don’t do regular strength training can expect to lose 4 to 6 pounds of muscle per decade. (And most people don’t see the number on the scale going down, which means they are replacing that muscle with fat.) Fast-twitch fibers, which provide bursts of power, are lost at a greater rate than slow-twitch fibers, which means you’re not only growing weaker but also getting slower. Weak muscles hasten the loss of independence, putting everyday activities out of reach—activities such as walking, cleaning, shopping, and even dressing. They hinder your ability to cope with and recover from an illness or injury. Disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older people with moderate to severe sarcopenia than in those with normal muscle mass. Weak muscles also make it harder to balance properly when moving or even standing still—and loss of power compounds the problem. Perhaps it’s not surprising that one in every three adults ages 65 and older falls each year. Some of these falls can have dire consequences, including bone fractures, admittance to long-term care facilities, and even death from complications. According to the CDC, these spills lead to more than 800,000 hospitalizations a year. But strength and power training can help. People with stronger muscles are less likely to fall and, when they do take a tumble, less likely to sustain a serious injury. Loss of muscle strength and mass aren’t the only factors that contribute to age-related declines in function and mobility. Mitochondria—the energy-producing "power plants" inside cells—decrease in number and efficiency. Similarly, the nerve-signaling system that recruits muscle fibers for tasks deteriorates with age and lack of use. While it’s tempting to attribute all of these changes to aging alone, disuse of muscles plays a bigger role than many people suspect. Studies suggest that strength and power training can help reverse these effects and restore muscle function. For more weight training tips, check out  Strength and Power Training for Older Adults , a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: andresr/Getty Images Share this story: FEATURED CONTENT Strength and Power Training • The basics: Strength training, power training, and your muscles • What strength and power training can do for you • Getting set up • Safety first • Designing your program • Workout I: A strong beginning • Workout II: Stepping it up a notch Click here to learn more » FOLLOW US ON:  Facebook Twitter Copyright © 2026 by Harvard University. Harvard Health Publishing, Gordon Hall, Suite 013, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA