120/80
Second verse, same as the first
The verdict is in: Adults should aim to keep their blood pressure under 120/80 to decrease their risk of dementia, according to recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.
Medical professionals eyed an update to 2017 recommendations, which had established 120/80 as the new normal. A China study in April reported that keeping your blood pressure underneath that target can reduce dementia risk by 15%, as STAT's Elizabeth Cooney reported. The study sealed the deal for the groups' leaders.
High blood pressure has been a silent killer in the United States, causing heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. Nearly half of U.S. adults have blood pressures that top 130/80, which is worrisome because that's where hypertension sets in and can wreak havoc on your cognition.
Read more about the update from Liz.
WHASSUP
Nobody's drinking anymore
A record-low number of Americans are drinking, according to a new Gallup poll that has been tracking this data since 1939. The decline might be due to the growing federal and scientific consensus that any amount of drinking — whether moderate or binge — carries health risks.
The consumption rate has plummeted to 54%, while a majority of Americans now say that moderate drinking is bad for your health. Some interesting nuggets buried in this report worth watching: Two-thirds of adults under 35 said that one or two drinks a day is bad for your health. White people reported a much more dramatic drop in drinking compared to people of color, who actually increased their consumption in the last year. Republicans' consumption dropped by nearly 20%.
STAT's Isabella Cueto has covered this decline and alcohol's risks extensively. Pick your poison: MAHA, nutrition labels, or alcohol's health-related problems, by the numbers.
RESEARCH
Which states know the least about HPV cancer risk?
One in three adults is unaware of HPV and its link to cancer, according to a new survey of more than 22,000 people.
Human papillomavirus is known to cause six types of cancer, mainly of the cervix and throat. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, found that states in the Midwest and South, including Kansas, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Arkansas, had the lowest awareness of HPV and the HPV vaccine. Yet in these states, the rates of HPV-associated cancers have been increasing, while HPV vaccination rates have been decreasing.
The HPV vaccine is the best defense against getting HPV-related cancers. "It just worries me how this is going to translate five years, 10 years down the line," said lead study author Kalyani Sonawane. "We are losing that critical opportunity of being able to vaccinate kids, being able to screen women at the right time and being able to catch these cancers early." — Marissa Russo
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