Headlines about medical studies may be more enthusiastic than accurate

“Lowering Your Blood Pressure Could Stave Off Dementia,” heralded the headline from Bloomberg, which was not alone in delivering the “good” news.

Time advised, “There May Finally Be Something You Can Do to Lower Your Risk of Dementia.”

Reuters’ headline was even more definitive. “Lowering Blood Pressure Cuts Risk of Memory Decline: US Study.”

Readers can be forgiven if they rushed to their doctors to discuss more aggressive blood pressure treatment. Who wouldn’t want to escape the scourge of dementia? But alas, most of the news stories beneath the headlines were as misleading as the headlines...