Why isn't my blood pressure coming down?

[andromache]

I went LCHF about a year ago to improve metabolic profile and (I hoped) managed my BP down naturally in the process. It's not dramatically high, but usually stuck on the wrong side of the pre-hypertensive range and I'm at an age (55+) when these things tend to get worse rather than better. I am not (yet) on any hypertension meds or anything else known to affect BP.

The diet (and exercise and other lifestyle changes) are doing the trick on the fat and glucose metabolism, no question: total cholesterol/HDL ratio, HbA1C etc are now pretty much where I want them, so I'm very pleased. I'm a healthy weight. And I'm feeling massively better in myself, too. But no change to the blood pressure: it clearly hasn't got the memo that says better insulin sensitivity = healthy blood pressure! Do I just need to give it more time? Any other ideas, please? I keep reading on here about people getting fabulous improvements in their BP readings after going low-carb, at the same time as improving their other metabolic markers, and would love to know the secret! Thanks for any ideas, folks.

 

[Listlad]

It’s quite hard as one doesn’t always have confidence in what one has been told by ones GP etc. But it was explained to me that they (BP, weight and blood sugar levels) went hand in glove with each other.

Whilst my blood sugar levels have come down, so has my weight and my blood pressure too. So far anyway.

 

[andromache]

It’s quite hard as one doesn’t always have confidence in what one has been told by ones GP etc. But it was explained to me that they (BP, weight and blood sugar levels) went hand in glove with each other.

Whilst my blood sugar levels have come down, so has my weight and my blood pressure too. So far anyway.

Thanks. That's what I thought too. I hope that my blood pressure will eventually catch up with the rest of me!

 

[hankjam]

My two bits.
BP can be completely independent of weight, and so to possibly related parameters. There are thin people with high BP.

 

[andromache]

My two bits.
BP can be completely independent of weight, and so to possibly related parameters. There are thin people with high BP.

I guess so, and thank you. It's a bit disappointing though. I had been hoping that the BP would improve in line with other, usually related, improved lab tests, but alas no. I'm not giving up, though: I love eating LCHF and feel so much better - more energy, fewer aches and pains, better digestion. I guess that matters more than a blood pressure reading!

 

[Listlad]

I believe there are heridatary factors too with blood pressure.

 

[KK123]

I guess so, and thank you. It's a bit disappointing though. I had been hoping that the BP would improve in line with other, usually related, improved lab tests, but alas no. I'm not giving up, though: I love eating LCHF and feel so much better - more energy, fewer aches and pains, better digestion. I guess that matters more than a blood pressure reading!

It's not a guess Andromache, I am one of them. Thin, I run 5 miles a day, don't smoke, don't drink, fairly low carb, good A1c, no other health conditions...and yet my BP has always hovered around 130/90 no matter what, especially when the Dr takes it. Incidentally when I check it myself at home it is usually 120/80 ish. In fact I always seem to be on the cusp of 'normal' and I truly believe sometimes 'normal' is how YOUR body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people and my Consultants put it down to genetics!

 

[Listlad]

It's not a guess Andromache, I am one of them. Thin, I run 5 miles a day, don't smoke, don't drink, fairly low carb, good A1c, no other health conditions...and yet my BP has always hovered around 130/90 no matter what, especially when the Dr takes it. Incidentally when I check it myself at home it is usually 120/80 ish. In fact I always seem to be on the cusp of 'normal' and I truly believe sometimes 'normal' is how YOUR body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people and my Consultants put it down to genetics!

Is that without BP meds?

 

[KK123]

Is that without BP meds?

Hi Listlad, yes. I'm not on any meds and to be fair, although they sometimes um and ah, they have never asked me to take them (I wouldn't anyway).

 

[Listlad]

Hi Listlad, yes. I'm not on any meds and to be fair, although they sometimes um and ah, they have never asked me to take them (I wouldn't anyway).

130/90 doesn’t look too bad to me. ( I struggle to achieve that with meds. I always had slightly higher blood pressure than what has been considered normal. And it has crept up over time but it is on its way down now after going lchf ).

 

[andromache]

It's not a guess Andromache, I am one of them. Thin, I run 5 miles a day, don't smoke, don't drink, fairly low carb, good A1c, no other health conditions...and yet my BP has always hovered around 130/90 no matter what, especially when the Dr takes it. Incidentally when I check it myself at home it is usually 120/80 ish. In fact I always seem to be on the cusp of 'normal' and I truly believe sometimes 'normal' is how YOUR body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people and my Consultants put it down to genetics!

Thank you; that is reassuring. I wish my BP was as good as yours, though! Was yours higher before you tidied up your diet and then reduced to the (to me!) admirable level it's at now?

 

[andromache]

130/90 doesn’t look too bad to me. ( I struggle to achieve that with meds. I always had slightly higher blood pressure than what has been considered normal. And it has crept up over time but it is on its way down now after going lchf ).

Thank you. It is good to hear that your blood pressure is heading in the right direction now you're eating better. Perhaps your blood pressure could have a quiet word with mine on this matter?

 

[Listlad]

Thank you. It is good to hear that your blood pressure is heading in the right direction now you're eating better. Perhaps your blood pressure could have a quiet word with mine on this matter?

Indeed. I feel lucky that it is working for me but am at a loss as to why yours isn’t coming down in the same way. It is a slow process mind.

Do you have your own Blood Pressure meter?

 

[andromache]

I believe there are heridatary factors too with blood pressure.

I'm afraid you're probably right. My family history doesn't make pretty reading - one of my parents had T2D and heart disease by my age and then just got sicker and sicker. I want to do all I can to avoid a similar fate.

 

[andromache]

Indeed. I feel lucky that it is working for me but am at a loss as to why yours isn’t coming down in the same way. It is a slow process mind.

Do you have your own Blood Pressure meter?

Yes, I do have a blood pressure meter. The GP periodically insists on a couple of weeks' readings, but so far they've just about passed muster when read in poor light by a GP in a hurry. Readings in the GP surgery are quite another matter!

 

[Listlad]

Yes, I do have a blood pressure meter. The GP periodically insists on a couple of weeks' readings, but so far they've just about passed muster when read in poor light by a GP in a hurry. Readings in the GP surgery are quite another matter!

Yes. Same here. They just take mine now and record them.

So day in and day out there is no change for me but over a month there was.

Also I will be more active (I think) in the next few weeks. Change of job. So am hoping that will help.

 

[West335]

It might be worth either asking your nurse if you can borrow or buying your own blood pressure machine. I have this problem cos am always worked up and unrelaxed when I get to the surgery. I've heard from a reliable source you need to check when you are COMPLETELY relaxed to get a n accurate result. My nurae said last time I saw her if my BP hasn't come down she'll loan me a machine. I'm a proper stress head and rush around too much lol

 

[KK123]

Thank you; that is reassuring. I wish my BP was as good as yours, though! Was yours higher before you tidied up your diet and then reduced to the (to me!) admirable level it's at now?

Hi there, my blood pressure has always been around the same (all the way through 3 pregnancies) and I am now 58. I went privately for an ambulatory test where they attach a BP monitor to you 24/7 which takes your blood pressure every 30 minutes. Apart from not getting a wink of sleep (!), it actually showed that for the majority of the time it was perfectly normal and went quite low during the night. Have you had this done at all? If not for that I am sure someone may have decided on medication and if they had have done, I would have been worse off with low BP. As for my diet, I have always followed a (supposedly) healthy diet of veg/fruit/wholemeal etc without the rubbish carbs (sweets/pies/pastry etc) and only changed that on diagnosis to lower carb (not low carb). I do not think that BP in general is much to do with diet as such anyway. It has never been higher, just constant. They said to me 'We like a diabetic's to be less than 120/80 at all times', well I cannot achieve that without medication and as far as I am concerned that is just normal for me.(I do try and compensate for it though by being good, no smoking, no drinking, 5 mile a day run, active job, eat no rubbish).

 

[Bluetit1802]

It's not a guess Andromache, I am one of them. Thin, I run 5 miles a day, don't smoke, don't drink, fairly low carb, good A1c, no other health conditions...and yet my BP has always hovered around 130/90 no matter what, especially when the Dr takes it. Incidentally when I check it myself at home it is usually 120/80 ish. In fact I always seem to be on the cusp of 'normal' and I truly believe sometimes 'normal' is how YOUR body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people and my Consultants put it down to genetics!

I think you have a very good point when you say "normal is how your body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people" Every health marker is given a standard range, or a normal range, but each of us is unique. None of us is the same. What is normal for one is not normal for another. I have no idea how they calculate what is optimal for blood pressure, but somehow they have come up with a figure and applied it to everyone - male, female, young, old, in between. Men have different bodies to women, bigger with more circulating blood. How come their BP should be the same as a woman? Same when it comes to age.

 

[Listlad]

I think you have a very good point when you say "normal is how your body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people" Every health marker is given a standard range, or a normal range, but each of us is unique. None of us is the same. What is normal for one is not normal for another. I have no idea how they calculate what is optimal for blood pressure, but somehow they have come up with a figure and applied it to everyone - male, female, young, old, in between. Men have different bodies to women, bigger with more circulating blood. How come their BP should be the same as a woman? Same when it comes to age.

Exactly and maybe sometime in the future the points you make will not go unrecognised.