Lowering blood pressue with food and exercise

Sweet_Intensity · November 2017

Any one else out there battling hypertension and looking to lower blood pressure with food and exercise (in conjunction with a weight loss program)?

I know that body fluid balance is an important factor and that balancing sodium and potassium intake can do wonders to help lower blood pressure.

Any links to articles, tips, suggestions or recipes would be most welcome.

Thanks

cwolfman13 · November 2017

You may or may not be able to normalize your blood pressure with diet and exercise. I'm hypertensive and losing 40 Lbs combined with regular exercise allowed me to reduce my meds, but I'm still on them...but, before I lost weight and started exercising, my meds still had me around 140/90...with weight loss and regular exercise and reduced medication I'm around 118/78, so it's definitely helped.

I just focus on eating largely whole foods and preparing my meals from scratch, whole ingredients or minimally processed food goods and watch my sodium...that said, losing weight and regular exercise is going to have far more impact than any particular food.

dsboohead · November 2017

I have seen many patients who rely on your way of thinking and it never goes down enough to not cause eventual damage.
Genetics plays a key roll too! If you have a prexisting condition that could play a roll. If you smoke and and are a habitual drinker, another roll. Some can rely on weight loss...diet and exercise but many others cannot and must take meds! Thats okay but protection of those kidneys are key!

sgt1372 · November 2017

FWIW, my BP dropped from pre-hypertensive by the old standards (hypertensive by the new) at over 130/90 to at or below normal at 110/60 after losing 38# from 196 to 158 and dropping my BF from over +20% to a
10-12% by means of diet control and exercise. So, I believe that losing weight and BF can directly contribute to a reduction in BP.

AnnPT77 · November 2017

My blood pressure used to be 140/80 and up. I tried improving it (and blood lipid problems) via activity and food choices. Very limited success.

Losing 50+ pounds, down to a healthy weight, brought it down to (typically) around 115-120/70ish. And my lipids are solidly in the normal range.

I don't, AFAIK, have a genetic predisposition to either of those problems, though. Not everyone will have the same results I did.

Iamnotasenior · November 2017

Yes. You can definitely reduce high blood pressure through a combination of losing weight, exercising regularly, reducing the amount of sodium and caffeine you consume and getting enough potassium in your diet. That said, until you do reduce your blood pressure to at or below 120 over 80, continue to take your meds until your doctor says you don't need them anymore. High blood pressure can damage your kidneys, heart and brain (stroke) so it's important to control it until you can make health changes.

justlog · November 2017

cwolfman13 wrote: »

You may or may not be able to normalize your blood pressure with diet and exercise. I'm hypertensive and losing 40 Lbs combined with regular exercise allowed me to reduce my meds, but I'm still on them...but, before I lost weight and started exercising, my meds still had me around 140/90...with weight loss and regular exercise and reduced medication I'm around 118/78, so it's definitely helped.

I just focus on eating largely whole foods and preparing my meals from scratch, whole ingredients or minimally processed food goods and watch my sodium...that said, losing weight and regular exercise is going to have far more impact than any particular food.

Very similar situation with me as well. Helped reduce the dosage significantly... still need them.

gengenito · November 2017

I'm in my 30s, has a family history of hypertension, and now borderline hypertensive that occasionally goes up. What I found to help in terms of meal prep is to substitute salt with spices like an Italian mix. You can definitely tell the lack of salt but overtime you get used to it.

jgnatca · November 2017

In order of effectiveness in lowering my blood pressure;
1. Lost significant weight
2. Exercise (lowered my heart rate most of all, but that's all got to be good, right?)
3. Reduced salt diet

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-20048456

jgnatca · November 2017

Oh, and PS. V8 low sodium is vile. I'd rather chew on a raw parsnip.

GuyWinton · November 2017

Been there, (mostly) done that.

My BP varied, but was measured as high as 210 over 203. Stinkin' Dr. just wanted to give me pills (well, first they wanted to put me in hospital and bleed me like it was the Middle Ages...)

I finally paid attention to the fact I had extremely thick blood (which I already knew but ignored) as the nurses complained about taking blood. The factoids about becoming blind at about 240 over XX scared the crap out of me. I also had a white face due to the fact that thick blood doesn't flow thru small capillaries, including those in the kidneys...

I figured out it was excess sodium (no thanx to worthless Dr). Looking at My Fitness Pal history, I could see that my daily sodium intake was roughly 4500 to 6000 mg/day (vs recommended 2300 mg/day). I totally changed my diet in mid-May 2017 to get sodium intake to less than 1500 mg/day, made sure my potassium intake was 2x my sodium, and hydrated more. This is extremely challenging, as EVERYTHING manufactured is sky-high with sodium, including all restaurant food (excepting the scarce-as-hens-teeth organic places).

The change in my gym results was drastic and immediate. Within one week I went from attempted sets of pullups
of 7 (of 10), 4-5 (of 10), and 2-3 (of ten), to 10, 10, 10. The next week it was 4 sets of 10. My workouts went from 3 days/week and total wipeout, to 5 days per week. My trainer has documented my growth of muscle mass, loss of fat. We work on everything, including cardio, and are shooting for 15" arms within the next 3 months.

I need to recheck my BP, but various interim results were 150/90. I'm optimistic, based on general health and muscle growth, that my body is repairing and regenerating itself in all aspects, including my circulatory system and heart, and that my BP will be OK.

All in all, not too shabby for 64 yrs young....

GuyWinton · November 2017

My typical diet reflected here. It doesn't vary much due to the limited low-sodium choices. BTW I'm single so I just do what I choose to...

GuyWinton · November 2017

Sorry - last comment. People now come talk to me at the gym, because they see I have RESULTS. Yes, I have a trainer 2 nites per week, and "homework" 3 nites per week. BUT (and the concept is important not the specific #s) visible RESULTS come 80% from diet changes, and 20% from exercise. And the gym I go to, not many people drastically change their diets. If you still "live" on commercial sugar crap, salty crap, starchy crap, and chemical-stew crap, not to mention eating too much, you will not see many results. You can prove it to yourself by creating phony entries in My Fitness Pal - how much exercise does it take to work off a donut? I'd say roughly 1-2 hrs worth....and you haven't yet started on losing weight, just burning off a donut...

And the issue is much larger. I suggest getting the e-book .pdf of a book called, "How Not To Die", a NY Times Best Seller. There, the MD author relates the studies that show that the diseases (the 15 diseases that kill the most Americans) statistically can be stopped and even rolled back, by eating a "clean" and virtually vegetarian diet (dairy and eggs OK). The best anti-disease results tho come from the totally vegetarian diets.

So - what do you want to die of??

Sweet_Intensity · November 2017

Thank you all for your thoughtful advice. Very much appreciated.

Carl_Carlson · November 2017

Two years ago I was a hypertensive, 65 year old power lifter (250 Lb weight class). I switched from "Big Eating & Big Lifting", quit power lifting and took up a vegetarian (albeit not a strict one) cyclist's lifestyle. I Lost almost 30 lbs of fat and muscle and recently was taken off of blood pressure medications. I ride a bike 150 miles a week and spend two days in the gym a week lifting light weights to prevent "Cyclists Osteoporosis".

ljmorgi · November 2017

I've been more or less low-sodium since late 2002 after kidney failure and congestive heart failure. Diet plays a big role in it (there's surprise sodium in weird places), losing weight helped, exercise helps, but in my case I'll still be on blood-pressure meds forever.

watchdezshrink · December 2017

I am doing this to lower my blood pressure as well, also for vanity...mine goes all over the place! I also have anxiety, which effects it. My goal is to get odd meds, but if i cant then at least have it lower naturally and with help of meds.

Lowering blood pressue with food and exercise

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