High Blood Pressure: You Are Not Your Family History

Having a family history of high blood pressure doesn’t mean you’re helpless to stay heart healthy. A study from the American Heart Association journal Hypertension involved 6,278 adults. Most were Caucasian, and the majority were men. They were followed for about 5 years. During that time, 1,545 developed high blood pressure. Everyone in the study took a treadmill fitness test. Some people were considered “highly fit.” In that group, people with a family history of high blood pressure had only a 16% higher risk of high blood pressure, compared with people who had no family history.