High blood pressure
cedarsidefarm
Posts: 163 Member
Has anyone noticed an increase in blod pressure after being on low carb for 2 years? My blood pressure has been slowly going up. I'm borderline at 138 over 90 which my doctor says is pre hypertension. I now have to start tracking it. I do have a very salty bone broth every 2 or 3 days. But I don't see how I can stay low carb without it. It has literally taken away my headache in minutes.
My physical was not very good this year except for the loss of another 5 pounds.
My physical was not very good this year except for the loss of another 5 pounds.
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PRIOR to dieting/weightloss via low carb, I was on medication for high blood pressure-lisinopril with HCTZ. As I lost weight, I reported my BP online to my doc on Duke's patient site and she (the doc) began reducing my meds. I've not been on meds since June 2014. 2016 was a trial year for keto for reason other than weight management. My blood pressure remained AOK with my increased sodium intake during that time to current.
I perceive that you are pretty physically active given your profession but FWIW, I have found that brisk walks have been very helpful in keeping my BP down. Also FWIW, my husband who has been on several different BP meds over the years with minimal improvement, began brisk walking (on days he doesn't play golf
), is no longer on BP meds and has normal BP.
You may not be so fortunate but it is something to consider. Thanks for the post. A definite reminder to put my shoes on and WALK to CVS to check my BP and get back into it regularly.0 -
Thanks for the advice. I've been digging in the garden a lot lately and haven't been doing much walking. I guess it's time to walk the fence line again. I should do it once a month to check for problems. Walking it takes me about 12 hours that I break up into 2 to 4 hour chunks. The last 2 months, I've been lazy and used the ATV. It's less efficient because it's harder to see any smaller fence problems. So, since the temperatures outside are better, I need to put away that ATV and use my feet. Let's see if that helps things.5
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@cedarsidefarm
You mention salty bone broth... I'm sure you know this, but I want to mention it just in case...
Iodized table salt can trigger an increase in blood pressure for folks sensitive in it. It's more likely to be the culprit in an unexpected blood pressure spike than other types of salt.
Sea salt, on the other hand, is very unlikely to trigger any sort of blood pressure spike, except in extreme situations... It is also better absorbed by the body (less breaking down, maybe?) and full of trace minerals the body needs...
So, if you haven't already switched, it's worth the switch fully over to sea salt (still cures the electrolyte headaches!). I recently got a HUGE glass bottle of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt at Big Lots for around $4, if I remember correctly. I know I got more than twice as much as I normally do at Walmart for around the same price, and I got a super cool bottle, too.
If you already use sea salt, it might be worth switching types (from white to pink or grey -- WM just got a large Celtic Grey grinder for about $5 - to Hawaiian, or another type...)...3 -
My husband takes vitamin C and lysine for his blood pressure - they are relatively cheap supplements, so might be worth a try.1
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I take Lysine sometimes for the anti-viral effects. I'd not read about it for blood pressure. Granted, I still take magnesium glycinate, which has lysine in the formulation...
@tcunbeliever - Do you have any resources you can share on the Lysine-blood pressure connection? I'd love to read up!0 -
I'm on hydrochlorothiazide and lisinopril for blood pressure. What helps me is that I prioritize high potassium and high magnesium foods and don't have a lot of salt. I'm not keto just low carb. I'm trying to work my way off the meds.0
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Thanks!!0
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Don't forget to keep an eye on potassium. If you're not keeping potassium up on low carb, that might lead to an increase in blood pressure. Do you track it as well? If not, maybe do so for a few weeks and then see where you're falling. If you're drastically under the recommended amount for a day, maybe try to up that a little bit (don't overdo it!! Going over recommended dosage a day is NOT good at all! You can read all kinda warnings about that online) and see how your BP does.0
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I will say my BP has not responded to the keto and the weight loss as I expected. I am still taking a BP med. it is more or less 120/70 in the morning and 130/80 in the evening. This is a pretty good place to be, but it is medicated.1
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I had to monitor mine for years, but it got back into a healthy range when I went off hormonal birth control years ago. I've been low carb for roughly 3 years now. I haven't monitored in that time. two weeks ago I went to urgent care for stitches to my hand (kitchen mishap.
) and was surprised at how high my blood pressure was. They checked it 3 times, decided it was likely due to the stress of the situation but now I'm wondering if i should start monitoring again..... 1 -
I had to monitor mine for years, but it got back into a healthy range when I went off hormonal birth control years ago. I've been low carb for roughly 3 years now. I haven't monitored in that time. two weeks ago I went to urgent care for stitches to my hand (kitchen mishap. ) and was surprised at how high my blood pressure was. They checked it 3 times, decided it was likely due to the stress of the situation but now I'm wondering if i should start monitoring again.....
How is the hand healing?
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My blood pressure is normally 90/60...so, not high at all, almost comatose, if I stand up too fast I get light headed...but when I injured my back and they took my blood pressure it was 180/110...very high, all due to pain...it went back to normal once my back was better and I didn't hurt...so any kind of blood pressure taken while pain is a factor is going to be a very distorted value.0
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cedarsidefarm wrote: »Has anyone noticed an increase in blod pressure after being on low carb for 2 years? My blood pressure has been slowly going up. I'm borderline at 138 over 90 which my doctor says is pre hypertension. I now have to start tracking it. I do have a very salty bone broth every 2 or 3 days. But I don't see how I can stay low carb without it. It has literally taken away my headache in minutes.
My physical was not very good this year except for the loss of another 5 pounds.
How much water are you drinking? Low hydration can increase blood pressure (due to thickness of the blood), so make sure you're drinking enough. That might help you decrease the sodium intake a bit, too (maybe).
As for your last comment, I assume you're referring to your lipid test. Check the Launch Pad for info on that. Odds are good you're actually a lot better off than you think you are. In short, if your doctor tries to suggest statins, don't even entertain the idea until a particle density measurement is done, because low carb increases the size of LDL particles, making them safer, but it looks bad on the standard tests.0 -
Actually, check out the launch pad for the blood pressure, stuff, too. There's at least one thread of interest to you on that front.0
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I have had me and my husband on sea salt for years now we both have high blood pressure , and we both take meds , but we both have a great BP reading when we see the Doc , we are both diabetic as well , but since we have been eating low carb , me more then hubby , our numbers are awesome ! IF we eat like Ham or lunch meats our sugars go up and blood pressures go up . I hope you figure it out and get it fixed
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I'm on lisinopril-HCTZ as well. I have stage II hypertension when I'm untreated. My doc and I have not noticed any linear correlation between my diet plans and my blood pressure medication reaction. Only the fact that when I weigh less, my blood pressure gets lower, no matter what diet/exercise plan I used. Low-carb is my typical go-to and has been for a decade (but I've used others too), and it's still the case that when I lose weight on it, my BP decreases and I respond better to lower doses of BP meds.0
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My blood pressure was never high but it was borderline before I started LCHF about 2 1/2 years ago. Now it's really low. The last time I went to get my teeth cleaned the hygienist took it twice and then called the dentist in because she thought something was wrong! Unsure if it's a result of the diet or because I've lost weight.0
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Generally yeah, the smaller you get, the smaller your BP gets. I've never actually been clinically overweight but I have really high BP and it drops the smaller I get, so that truth seems to apply to everyone.0
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tcunbeliever wrote: »My husband takes vitamin C and lysine for his blood pressure - they are relatively cheap supplements, so might be worth a try.
tcunbeliever: Did the vitamin C and lysine actually help lower your husband's BP? What dosage is he taking?0 -
It definitely lowered his BP out of high and into borderline...it was down to normal at one point, but then he went on a trip and didn't keep up with his supplements and it went back up to borderline, which is where it is now. I don't know what dosage he's taking, a lot, 3x/day. He takes the powder and mixes it with water, sometimes juice...I'll see if I can get the dosage from him.1
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How is your magnesium? I have read that a good magnesium supplement or foods rich in magnesium help the elasticity of blood vessels, thus bringing down the blood pressure a little bit. You may want to do a little research on it.0
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Are you taking an NSAID for pain? ;earned from experience it will drive BP straight up.0
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I had to monitor mine for years, but it got back into a healthy range when I went off hormonal birth control years ago. I've been low carb for roughly 3 years now. I haven't monitored in that time. two weeks ago I went to urgent care for stitches to my hand (kitchen mishap. ) and was surprised at how high my blood pressure was. They checked it 3 times, decided it was likely due to the stress of the situation but now I'm wondering if i should start monitoring again.....
Ouch! Is it healing well?
My guess is the high BP was caused by the situation.
ETA my BP has not really changed from low carb. It's usually 90-110 / 50-65. Doctors tend to take it, pause, and then ask what it normally is. Once I tell them it's usually towards the low end, they relax and move on.
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