Cell pohones increase BP

New research from Italy shows that talking on cell phones can cause a significant rise in blood pressure. A team of Italian researchers has reported that during cell phone calls, blood pressure bumped up from 121/77 to 129/82. However, the research team noted the increase was less drastic among people who took or made 30 or more phone calls a day. In other blood pressure news: a small study from Brazil found that people with high blood pressure prefer more salt in their food than do individuals whose blood pressure is normal. On the plus side, a 24-week study from the University of Pennsylvania found that blood pressure dropped by an average of three points for both systolic and diastolic measurements among people who practiced yoga two to three times per week. Among study participants who followed a controlled diet but didn’t perform yoga, blood pressure dropped only one point. All of these findings were presented at the May 15-18, 2013 meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in San Francisco.

Dr. Ajay Sati.