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Article: Calcium gives black teens heart benefits.(adequate calcium keeps blood pressure down)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- September 26, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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African Americans face more than twice the risk that whites do of developing high blood pressure, a major risk factor for atherosclerosis. This hypertension, which also tends to develop earlier in blacks, underlies a stroke rate that is 80 percent higher than that of the general U.S. population and a 50 percent higher mortality rate from heart disease. A new study indicates that among healthy black teenagers, consuming adequate calcium can help hold blood pressure down.
"When you have a problem as prevalent as hypertension [in blacks] and find an agent that can reduce that problem early in life, it may end up having enormous public health consequences," observes ...