Higher Education Associated With Low Blood Pressure

A new research at the Brown University, Rhode Island has suggested that higher education might benefit the heart and the brain, especially in case of females. Scientists have found that when compared to people who finished education in teenage, people who went to college had lower blood pressure (BP) as they aged. People with a master's degrees or doctorate were benefited the most. Researchers studied the systolic blood pressure in about 4,000 people. They compared these findings in men and women who had completed less than 12 years or more than 15 years of education and found that the blood pressure readings in women who were better educated were 3.26 mmHg lower than those who were less educated, while it was found that in men this reading was 2.6 mmHg lower. The reading did not change much even if the factors that influenced the BP like medication, smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity were adjusted. The readings were reduced to 2.86 mmHg in women and 1.25 mmHg in men.

Study leader Eric Loucks said, "Low educational attainment has been demonstrated to predispose individuals to high strain jobs, characterized by high levels of demand and low levels of control, which have been associated with elevated blood pressure."According to the Blood Pressure Association, high blood pressure or hypertension doubles the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. The new finding suggests that good education could save your life.


Source-Medindia