Genes Under Pressure
While heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of people in the U.S., researchers have found that we can help explain a large part of these cases through one's genetic makeup. In fact, one in five white people are believed to have the "blood pressure gene," where the genetic variance that controls salt in the kidneys changes to affect individuals' blood pressure.
While heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of people in the U.S., researchers have found that we can help explain a large part of these cases through one’s genetic makeup. In fact, one in five white people are believed to have the “blood pressure gene,” where the genetic variance that controls salt in the kidneys changes to affect individuals’ blood pressure.
TRUTHDIG’S JOURNALISM REMAINS CLEARThe BBC:
One in five white people carries a gene fault which could raise their risk of high blood pressure, research suggests.
The STK39 gene variant was found after scanning the entire genetic code of hundreds of people in the US and Europe.
Those with the variant had raised blood pressure compared with those carrying other versions.
The US research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Some 67 million Americans -- about a third of the adult population -- have high blood pressure, and about half of them do not have it under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Elevated blood pressure is a major factor in heart disease and strokes.
This could be a particularly rich example of how scientific study results can be read in seemingly contradictory ways, as what we have here is research that purports to find a possible link between consuming chocolate and staying thin.
The good news for chocolate aficionados is that a new study out of Germany, featuring a generous sample size of more than 19,000 people, suggests that there may be a link between chocolate consumption and lower blood pressure (continued) .
Before we scare you, keep in mind that if everyone in America who experienced high blood pressure -- that's about a third of us -- got dementia, you would know about it However, new research suggests that the relationship between hypertension and dementia is more pronounced and alarming than doctors previously understood (continued).
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