A study in rural China demonstrating the power of intensive blood pressure control clinched the deal. The large, cluster-randomized controlled trial convincingly demonstrated that better blood pressure — below 130/80 mm Hg — lowered the risk of dementia by 15% and cognitive impairment by 16%.

That was the solid evidence reviewers needed to form the foundation for a new guideline from leading medical groups on how to treat high blood pressure, Dan Jones, chair of the guideline writing committee and a past president of the American Heart Association, told STAT. He called the study from China the first one to definitively show that rigorous lowering of blood pressure with a goal of below 120 systolic blood pressure does decrease the risk of dementia.

“We don’t have recommended changes r

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