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Is high blood pressure actually protective?
Blood pressure tends to rise as we get older – we can all agree on that.
The question is whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Elevated blood pressure can be an indicator of things gone wrong in younger people.
But it’s also quite helpful for older people who have less healthy blood vessels.
Elevated blood pressure can help to supply more blood and nutrients under difficult conditions.
I think this is why we often see that research in older people shows that higher blood pressure is better.
This becomes more apparent the older we get.
I’ve written before about the benefits of blood pressure for people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Now let’s take a look at the effect of higher blood pressure in centenarians…
The human research was carried out at the Department of Internal Nursing, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice in Poland. This paper was published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.
The authors of this study were interested in the specifics of healthcare in people who manage to live beyond the age of 100.
“Knowledge of rational, evidence based health care in the hundred-year-old is still poor.”
The researchers were particularly interested in the health of the cardiovascular system and general functional capacity in centenarians.
“We evaluated the health and functional state of 100-year-old inhabitants of Upper Silesia, Poland, with a focus on the heart and vascular function.”
The research was carried out on 28 women and seven men.
The researchers at the participants completed the MMSE.
This assesses mental function, looking for signs of age-related decline and dementia.
The participants were also scored on the Barthel index.
This is a series of questionnaires which scores people based on how much, if any, assistance they need for general daily living, cooking, eating, bathing et cetera.
Barthel Index rates independence.
“The protocol included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Barthel Index (BI) and laboratory tests. A telephone follow-up was performed 180 days after the initial examination.”
The researchers also performed a series of standard lab tests and followed up with all the participants six months later.
Most of the participants had higher blood pressure…
“Most subjects had increased systolic blood pressure (BP), diminished albumin and folate serum levels as well as decreased Glomerular Filtration Rate.”
Blood pressure was particularly related to mental performance (MMSE) and personal independence (Barthel index).
“According to the quadratic polynomial regression model MMSE and BI were dependent on BP.”
Centenarians with higher blood pressure had better mental performance and were more independent.
The researchers also found that those with higher blood pressure were more likely to be alive when the researchers followed up six months after the assessment.
“Higher BP was associated with better performance and survival.”
Survival during the follow-up period was also related to lower levels of C reactive protein – an important marker of general inflammation.
“Those who survived more than 180 days had lower levels of CRP.”
The finding that centenarians with higher blood pressure were more independent, lived longer and had better mental function lines up with research I have reported on in groups between 60 and 99 years old..
“The relationships between functional scales, survival and blood pressure suggest a beneficial effect of elevated BP on both mental and physical performance in centenarians.”
Elevated blood pressure can be a sign of something going wrong in the body – it’s particularly indicative in younger people.
But research in older folks shows that elevated blood pressure is somewhat protective and we may have made very serious mistakes in trying to force down blood pressure in many millions of people over the age of 60.
“Further studies should determine an optimal balance between risk and benefits of elevated blood pressure in the oldest old people.”
You should always consult your healthcare practitioner for guidance on medical diagnosis and treatment.
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