BACKGROUND In healthy individuals, blood pressure (BP) decreases, or "dips", during sleep. Ethnicity and high daytime blood pressure level are known markers of nondipping status. The literature on psychological markers of nondipping is scant but suggests that anger/hostility and chronic stress may be contributors to nondipping. PURPOSE We have investigated this phenomenon in drug-free hyperte...

BACKGROUND Animal data show that decreased activity of placental 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2), which potently inactivates glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol) to inert forms (cortisone), allows increased access of maternal glucocorticoids to the fetus and 'programs' hypertension. Data in humans are limited. We examined in humans the association between venous umbilical c...

BACKGROUND We determined clinical predictors of the rate of rise (RoR) in blood pressure in the morning as well as a novel measure of the power of the BP surge (BP(power)) derived from ambulatory blood pressure recordings. METHODS BP(power) and RoR were calculated from 409 ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) recordings from subjects attending a cardiovascular risk clinic. Anthropometric data, blo...

OBJECTIVE Drospirenone (DRSP) is a progestogen derived from spironolactone with antimineralocorticoid action that seems to exert a favorable effect on blood pressure (BP); however, when associated with ethinylestradiol (EE), this effect does not seem to occur. This study aimed to assess possible differences in BP associated with the use of combined oral contraceptives containing DRSP with diffe...

Previous studies have suggested that grape and its products may possess blood pressure (BP)-lowering properties. Due to inconsistencies in results, we aimed systematically examine the effect of ...

Background: Consumption of dark chocolate has been often hypothesized to have a role in the prevention of chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of consumption of dark chocolate (DC) on serum oxidative stress and blood pressure (BP) in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: An 8-week parallel randomized clinical trial involving 114 patients with ...