High blood pressure in childhood could triple the risk of developing the condition in adulthood, a new study suggests.


Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine found that 18 percent of adults with high blood pressure also had at least one high blood pressure reading when they were children. Meanwhile, just 8.6 percent of adults with high blood pressure didn't have it as children.


"This study highlights the need for pediatricians to regularly check blood pressure and weight[1] ," study researcher Wanzhu Tu, Ph.D., a professor of biostatistics at the university, said in a statement. "An occasional increase in blood pressure does not justify treatment, but it does justify following these children more carefully."


High blood pressure is a known risk factor for heart disease[2] , heart attack and stroke.


The study, presented at the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions this year, is based on data from 1,117 adolescents in Indianapolis who were followed for 27 years. All the participants had their blood pressure taken during doctor office visits or by a school nurse.


By the end of the study period, when the participants had become adults, 119 had high blood pressure.


Researchers also found links between weight and high blood pressure in adulthood: 59 percent of those with high blood pressure in adulthood were obese or overweight in childhood.



The new findings are especially important, considering high blood pressure is actually increasing among U.S. kids. A recent study in the journal Hypertension showed that between 1999 and 2008, 19.2 percent of kids ages 8 to 17 in the U.S. had high blood pressure. That's an increase from the 1998-to-1994 time period, when 15.8 percent of kids in that age group had hypertension.

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  • Meditate


    Meditation can help maintain a calm and focused mind, but one side benefit of that relaxation could also help with blood pressure. When relaxed, the body produces more nitric oxide, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2008/08/21/93796200/to-lower-blood-pressure-open-up-and-say-om">which in turn helps blood vessels to open up, reducing the pressure of the blood flowing through</a>.




  • Adopt A Pet


    Research shows that <a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/5-ways-pets-improve-your-health">pet owners have lower blood pressure</a> (also: lower cholesterol and heart disease risk), thanks to the anxiety-reducing qualities of an animal companion.




  • Work On Your Marriage


    In one 2008 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-3955956.html">researchers found that happily married adults had better blood pressure</a> than happily single and unhappily married adults.




  • Get Moving


    This one's a no-brainer, but exercise is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure. There are many ways that the simple act of moderate exercise can improve your blood pressure (and overall health). First, it helps with other risk factors for hypertension, like extra weight and stress. But exercise also improves the strength of your heart so that <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00024">it can more effectively and efficiently pump blood, which lowers the pressure on the arteries</a>.




  • Stick To One Or Two Drinks


    Moderate drinking -- one drink for women and men over 65 and two drinks for younger men -- can actually help reduce blood pressure. <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00027">But more than that has the opposite effect</a>, according to the Mayo Clinic.




  • Monitor Your Caffeine


    There is some evidence that caffeine can temporarily increase blood pressure, though it's unclear if there is a long-term effect. The <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00027/NSECTIONGROUP=2">Mayo Clinic recommends</a> checking blood pressure 30 minutes after a cup of coffee or caffeinated soda to see if the effect remains.




  • Quit Smoking -- And Smokers


    Of course, for this and many other reasons, you should quit smoking. But even second-hand smoke can have a damaging effect on your blood pressure <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/UnderstandYourRiskforHighBloodPressure/Understand-Your-Risk-for-High-Blood-Pressure_UCM_002052_Article.jsp">because it damages arteries</a>.




  • Choose Pressure-Lowering Foods


    Several foods have been found to naturally lower blood pressure. Things like chili peppers, chocolate, beans and bananas have all been proven to lower blood pressure in humans or in trials with rats. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/raisins-and-7-other-foods-lower-blood-pressure_n_1382535.html#slide=817449">Read on for more here</a>.




  • Keep Weight Under Control


    Eating well is essential to maintaining healthy blood pressure, but even if you live on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/raisins-and-7-other-foods-lower-blood-pressure_n_1382535.html#slide=817449">beans and bananas</a>, extra pounds could harm you. In fact, one Italian study found that <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070928180348.htm">hypertension in overweight patients was a secondary condition, caused by the excess weight</a>. In other words, once the weight was lost, the high blood pressure went with it.




  • Stay Away From Salt


    Perhaps the best known advice for healthy blood pressure is maintaining a low sodium diet. Follow the <a href="http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/faq.asp">USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>: a max of 2,300 mg of sodium for healthy, young adults -- or 1,500 mg a day or fewer for those who are over 50, African-American or suffering from diabetes or chronic kidney disease.