The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have released new guidelines for managing high blood pressure. The updated recommendations suggest that individuals with systolic blood pressure in the 130-139 range should adopt healthy lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating a heart-healthy diet, reducing salt intake, and increasing physical activity.
According to Dr. Daniel Jones, chair of the writing committee for the guidelines, the new approach aims to control blood pressure more aggressively to prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes, kidney disease, and dementia. The guidelines also recommend avoiding alcohol, with limited recommendations for women (one drink per day) and men (two drinks per day).
The updated guidelines place greater emphasis on lifestyle changes, particularly in relation to diet and physical activity. The recommended dietary approach is the DASH diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils.
Individuals with overweight or obesity are advised to lose at least 5% of their body weight, while those with severe obesity may benefit from clinically proven interventions such as diet and exercise, weight loss medications, and surgery. Dr. Jones emphasizes that these lifestyle changes can significantly improve overall health, even in challenging environments.
The new guidelines aim to reduce the risk of high blood pressure-related complications and promote a more aggressive approach to managing the condition. With nearly half of all adults in the US having higher-than-normal blood pressure, these updated recommendations offer hope for improving cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/14/health/blood-pressure-guidelines-wellness