The changes were motivated largely by data from a federal study published in 2015 called SPRINT [the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial], which showed that lowering blood pressure well below 140 over 90 had substantial benefits, including for older people. There are two main messages: First, people at a higher risk of a future heart attack or stroke should be treated more intensively to achieve a blood pressure below 130 over 80. In particular, older people should be treated just as intensively as younger people. Second, the new guidelines define normal blood pressure as less than 120 over 80 or less. While medication should not necessarily be used to achieve this blood pressure, other nondrug strategies should be employed to lower blood pressure toward this level.