According to a new study conducted by researchers from Harvard University, two popular pain relievers may increase the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure). In the study, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, doctors examined data from a 1995 women's health inquiry on the use of acetaminophen and ibuprofen and a 1997 follow-up survey on high blood pressure. In those two years, 1,650 of the 80,020 female participants developed hypertension. The women, who were between the ages of 31 to 50, did not have high blood pressure at the outset of the study.

Women who took acetaminophen for 22 days a month or more were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure than those who did not use the medication. Ibuprofen users were 86 percent more likely to develop hypertension than nonusers, reveals the study. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are found in numerous medications, including Tylenol and Motrin respectively. The study's authors suggest that more research should be conducted on the safety of the drugs to confirm the validity of their report.