The Science Behind The American Heart Association's New Blood Pressure Guidelines

The American Heart Association is the biggest funder of cardiovascular research in the world, and new research has led to some pretty big insights. In August of 2025, the AHA released an extensive update to its blood pressure guidelines, the first such update since 2017. Not all of the new guidelines are completely unexpected. For instance, the organization still emphasizes staying active and exercise — practices that, when neglected, can increase the likelihood of an early death. The criteria defining the differences between normal blood pressure and hypertension also remain the same. However, the AHA has released more thorough risk assessment tools, as well as recommendations for earlier intervention and treating high blood pressure with greater urgency.

Essentially, the updated guidelines embody the old proverb, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The AHA is now emphasizing action be taken as soon as an individual is determined to be at risk of high blood pressure, even when that means taking medications. New medications, too, are now on the table, such as the health-improving GLP-1 medications. Of course, medications aren't the only preventative measures the AHA recommends. The guidelines reinforce healthy lifestyle choices, such as nutrition and healthy weight, as critically important. Yes, doctors can prescribe exercise.

How doctors assess risk has also changed. The new guidelines come in the wake of a body of research connecting cardiovascular health with kidney health, metabolism, dementia risks, and cognitive decline. In fact, in 2017, the American Heart Association coined the term cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome to describe the interconnectedness of those biological functions. As a result, the new guidelines now recommend laboratory testing for cardiovascular disease to also check patients' kidney health and metabolic function. From there, professionals are encouraged to use the AHA's PREVENT calculator to tailor individual treatments.

Based on the recent findings that link cardiovascular, kidney, cognitive, and metabolic health together, the American Heart Association developed the PREVENT calculator in 2023 for use by medical professionals. PREVENT stands for "Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs." But if the acronym sounds like a stretch, it's actually quite transparent about its purpose. By employing novel equations to calculate risk using individual data points, such as weight, age, and sex, the calculator provides professionals with a comprehensive risk assessment that can be used to "prevent" advanced blood pressure disease.

Essentially, your doctor can punch in your data, and the PREVENT calculator will provide recommendations for medications and other therapies. All the new research findings that influenced the development of the new blood pressure guidelines have also been incorporated into the PREVENT calculator's programming. In addition, it includes new strategies for managing blood pressure changes from pregnancy.

While the technology and treatment decisions are best left to the professionals, the focus of the new guidelines seeks to empower patients, as well. Daniel W. Jones, chair of the committee responsible, says that the new guideline update, "empowers patients with practical tools that can support their individual health needs." Towards this end, the AHA published a "Top 10 Takeaways" list to break down the new guidelines into their most essential bullet points. Knowledge is power, and in the same way we can explain blood pressure to kids, the science behind a healthy life doesn't need to be out of our hands as adults, either.