Hypertension a Health Challenge for Women

One study that looked at the benefit of low-fat dairy foods found that women 45 years old and older who ate such foods were at lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

"In our study, we found that higher low-fat dairy intake, but not high-fat dairy intake, was associated with lower risk of hypertension," said lead researcher Dr. Lu Wang, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "The association was partially attributed to calcium and vitamin D in dairy products."

A number of studies in the journal, which was published Feb. 8, focused on high blood pressure associated with pregnancy. One in 10 pregnancies is complicated by high blood pressure.

Women with high blood pressure are especially prone to developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. Among women with preeclampsia, 48 percent are likely to deliver low birth-weight babies, and 51 percent are likely to have pre-term infants, researchers found.

And smoking can increase the risks that occur with preeclampsia, but stopping smoking can reduce those risks, British researchers found.

More information

For more on women and high blood pressure, visit the American Heart Association.

SOURCES: Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director, New York University Medical Center's Women's Heart Program, New York City; Lu Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Feb. 8, 2008,Hypertension