**2.5 Blood pressure measurement**

Each participant was instructed to sit comfortably, stretch her left arm on a table, and relax for 10 minutes. A mercury sphygmomanometer and stethoscope were used to take measurements from the left upper arm after the subjects had rested for at least 5 minutes. The mean blood pressure was recorded to the closest to 2.0 mmHg in triplicate, with at least 5 minutes of waiting time between tests following the American Heart Association's standards [58].
