Francesco Lo Monaco on Rethinking Blood Pressure: The Major Problem with How We Understand It
Francesco Lo Monaco, Cardiologist and Founder of The National Heart Clinic, posted on LinkedIn:
“We’ve been looking at blood pressure the wrong way..
..and it’s putting people at risk.
Most people don’t even know what the two numbers mean, yet they rely on them to judge their heart health.
So here’s the truth in one sentence:
Systolic = pressure when the heart beats.
Diastolic = pressure when the heart rests.
Both are equally important.
Both create silent damage when even slightly elevated.
And both independently increase your risk of heart attack and stroke – as confirmed by recent studies, including one analysing 36 million readings.
I hear this every week:
“Only my top number is high, so I’m fine.”
But you’re not.
→ A high systolic means your arteries are under strain with every heartbeat.
→ A high diastolic means they never get a moment of rest.
Different mechanisms.
Same outcome: higher cardiovascular risk.
Prevention starts when the numbers first drift upward, not when they become “dangerous.”
Instead of asking “How high is your blood pressure?”
we ask:
“Why is it high?”
→ Stress
→ Poor sleep
→ Insulin resistance
→ Chronic inflammation
→ Nutrient deficiencies
There are also hereditary/genetic factors.
All the above show up in your numbers years before symptoms or disease.
Don’t ignore “slightly high.”
Don’t focus on one number.
And don’t wait for symptoms.
Your heart is talking long before it breaks, you just need to know how to listen.”
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