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Catholic World News News Feature

Study Links Religion, Low Blood Pressure August 11, 1998

RALEIGH, North Carolina (CWNews.com) - A new study by Duke University researchers released on Monday found that older people with an active faith have lower blood pressure.

The study of 4,000 North Carolinians ages 65 or over found that those who regularly participated in religious activities were 40 percent less likely to have high blood pressure. Dr. Harold Koenig, the study co-author, said it provides more evidence that religious activity does have a physiological benefit. Other studies have shown that religious people are less depressed, have healthier immune systems, and deal better with addictions. "We're becoming more aware that religious beliefs or practices is not negative for a person's health," Koenig said. "In fact they could be very positive."

The Duke study, published in this month's issue of the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, found that older people who attended religious services at least once a week had consistently lower diastolic readings, as did those who read the Bible or prayed regularly. The diastolic reading measures blood pressure when the heart relaxes. "There are studies that show if you could reduce the diastolic reading by 2 to 4 millimeters you could cut cardiovascular mortality by up to 20 percent," said Koenig.