Normal but high blood pressure in younger people ‘may raise heart attack risk’

The MyoFit46 study of more than 450 Britons, led by University College London (UCL), found that higher blood pressure from the 30s through later decades was linked to reduced blood flow to the heart at age 77.

The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, found that even “normal but high” or rapidly rising blood pressure could quietly damage the heart over time.

Risk patterns were seen as early as age 36, even when participants did not meet the criteria for a high blood pressure diagnosis, the report said.

Dr Gaby Captur, senior author and UCL associate professor, said: “Small, steady increases in blood pressure through adulthood, even if you have a ‘normal but high’ reading, can be quietly damaging the heart, long befor