Ideal Blood Pressure Levels: So Long the J-Curve, Lower is Better

While hypertension is one of the most well-recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease, there are no clear universally accepted ideal blood pressure levels. Original data from the Framingham heart study in the 1970s suggested no normality threshold for high blood pressure, indicating that “the lower, the better”, particularly for systolic blood pressure. However, subsequent reanalysis of the same data suggests a J-curve association between diastolic blood pressure and outcomes. Interestingly, the J-curve pattern was restricted to the diastolic blood pressure [...]