Low carb diet shown to reduce high blood pressure

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/202...k-research.html

It would seem that Insulin Resistance is a major driver of high blood pressure, and that should be better known.

A lot of the stuff I read blames it on weight, even though not every person with excess weight has high blood pressure. True, my own blood pressure was creeping up, but so was my A1C. And I got "perfect" blood pressure long before I reached my weight loss goals.

We need more looking at these "things everyone knows" with a science lens.

Thanks, Demi. This is one of the benefits of eating healthy and being serious about a lifestyle change where food is the focal point.

So true, WereBear. My own HBP was resolved when I became serious about a low carb lifestyle change. While I don't want to minimize HBP, it's one of the many dangerous symptoms of Insulin Resistance/ Metabolic Syndrome, but it's still a symptom and not a root cause. Treated separately, nothing is resolved due to it being a symptom. Treating the overriding cause (IR/MS), makes a world of difference, and that's where the science lens can be so meaningful. Now to get more studies confirming what some of us, including Dr. Unwin and other diet-focused practitioners, know.

When my BP creeps up, its my warning I've been off plan too long. Back to vlc, and it drops back to my normal. Been tracking like this for ten years.

Thank you very much for this post. I have returned to low carbing, and I’ve also started drinking hibiscus tea, which has been shown to Lower BP in studies.

What I’m trying to find out is how many grams of carbs were these study participants actually having per day? I couldn’t find that in the link. Anyone know?

Click the Figure 1 link, right below the abstract . It outlines the diet used (standard Norwood Surgery low carb diet, developed by Dr. Unwin and his team).

Thank you Doreen.

This blood pressure study is great. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I know a couple of skinny people who basically live on desserts. They count their calories and think they are healthy because they maintain their ideal weights eating only the "foods" they love, but they have HBP and who knows what else caused by their sugar & starch diet.

And my sister is six feet tall, weighs about 145 pounds (which she considers unbearably fat as she was about 120 pounds her whole life until she hit menopause), watches what she eats, eats basically a very healthy diet, but still has high blood pressure and takes beta blockers. Who knows? Our parents were both very overweight and mom had blood pressure through the roof. But my dad, who was quite obese and lived on pizza and Dunkin Donuts and pie and cake and ice cream always had blood pressure about 110/65.