This incurable disease can actually extend life

Finnish doctors once conducted a survey on 500 people over the age of 85. They found that people with high blood pressure lived longer. During the five-year observation, the number of elderly people with systolic blood pressure of 120 and diastolic blood pressure of 70 who survived was much lower than those with systolic blood pressure of 160 and diastolic blood pressure of 90; while the most elderly people who survived were those with systolic blood pressure of 200 and diastolic blood pressure of 110. Medical experts in my country have also conducted a nine-year follow-up observation on 100 people over the age of 90. The conclusion is: hypertension, especially mild pure systolic hypertension, does not increase the risk of death in the elderly, that is, it does not affect longevity.

Does this mean that people with high blood pressure will live longer?

In fact, the reason is very simple. High blood pressure in the elderly is a physiological measure for the body to protect itself. It is an instinctive reaction to adapt to the blood and oxygen supply to important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys when the elderly suffer from arteriosclerosis, smaller lumen, and increased blood viscosity. For the elderly, isolated systolic hypertension accounts for a large proportion, and their hypertension is caused by atherosclerosis.

This indicates that when people approach the maximum natural lifespan (100-120 years old), it is difficult to escape the aging law of universal arteriosclerosis. This is why the standard for reasonable blood pressure values ​​for the elderly is higher than that for young people.

In my previous articles, I have repeatedly emphasized that as long as hypertensive patients control the risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, their life expectancy will be no different from that of ordinary people. Nowadays, most people are still afraid of high blood pressure. Here is another set of numbers. In the statistics of centenarians, it was found that the average age of death for those with normal blood pressure, isolated systolic hypertension, and systolic and diastolic hypertension was 95.3, 95.4, and 94.5 years respectively.

The above results show that in the advanced age stage, hypertension is no longer the main threat to life expectancy. Because centenarians generally pursue a reasonable lifestyle, they avoid the risk factors of stroke. The vast majority of them are thin, and none of them are overweight or obese; they eat a light diet, with more vegetables and less meat, and no high-fat diet; and they have never lacked labor throughout their lives.

Do people with high blood pressure live longer? What's the secret? Let me say one more thing. The main threats to human life span today are cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and cancer. Their common risk factors are: lack of physical activity, smoking and drinking, irregular life, poor diet and wrong lifestyle.

Conclusion: Whether one lives a long life is the result of the combined effect of multiple factors, and high blood pressure cannot affect a person’s actual lifespan! But that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to treatment, diet, and exercise.