Genetics can be blamed for some of the more severe cases of childhood obesity. However, new research shows that many children are obese simply because of their lifestyles.

According to new research from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, about a quarter of African-Americans have a gene that helps protect them against heart disease.

Kidney stones and clogged arteries may be related by a common cause. A study shows that people who have had kidney stones are more likely to develop clogged arteries.

Financial reward incentives for general practitioners in the United Kingdom who successfully treat a number of patients with high blood pressure have not proven effective. Researchers found that nationally set targets for treating patients with hypertension (consistent blood pressure measuring 140 mmHg over 90 mmHg or higher) did not make a discernible difference in care improvements. About half of the UK population over age 50 has hypertension (that number correlates to about two out of three patients of the same age in the United States), which is one of the most treatable -- yet unde...

Although it's the most prescribed blood-pressure medicine on the market, hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic (or "water pill"), is much less effective than common hypertensive treatments.

New research indicates middle-aged women could reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering their systolic blood pressure (the pressure when the heart contracts).

Costs associated with treating heart disease and heart conditions increased more than 200 percent in Canada from 1996 to 2006, and are expected to triple in the U.S. by 2030.

Deep-brain stimulation (DBS), which incorporates a surgical implant similar to a cardiac pacemaker that sends electrical pulses to the brain, may provide relief from treatment-resistant high blood pressure.

Curbing salt intake in teens could reduce the number of young adults with high blood pressure, while imposing statutory limits of salt content in foods appears most effective way to cut intake.