Has anyone used IF to help with their blood pressure? I’ve recently read that it can have some positive effects.
I’m in my mid 30’s and was in good shape before I started having blood pressure problems about a year ago after being healthy all my life. 150/90 with a resting heart rate of over 100 isn’t uncommon for me now and it seems to be getting worse lately. I’ve racked up medical bills being tested and no one has figured out a cause.
I ended up being put on blood pressure meds a couple months ago and I’m ready to do whatever I need to get off of them.
Are you overweight? Maybe. Losing weight can help. I am normal weight and my blood pressure is lower while I am actually fasting (if I do a 24-36 hour fast) no, it doesn’t lower it overall. I was already normal weight and exercising regularly, so can isolate the effect of the fasting.
Blood pressure meds are much better for you than high blood pressure. But yes obviously if your high blood pressure is from lifestyle, changing your lifestyle should help.
Anecdotally, yes. I have seen a lowering of blood pressure and pulse using a combination of IF, sobriety, the elimination of some foods and an exercise regimen. I don’t think IF is a miracle, but I’m pretty acutely aware of just how chilled out my body is in the morning. It just doesn’t have much to do, so it stays really calm.
Anecdotally, I have dealt with high blood pressure basically all my life. During 2019 when I started to lose weight (I was 110kg) I also started taking my pressure every morning before going to work. Systolic was usually the problematic one, sitting very often in the 130s range and less often in the 120s range. In exceptional bad days I’d see it in the 140s! Note that my weight went down to 106kg, but blood pressure was still high.
Now in March 2022 I started losing weight again. COVID spiked my weight to 130kgs. Now my blood pressure is usually under the “elevated” limit. I usually see it in the 110s range, very rarely in the 120s. I currently weight 107kg so my weight right now is about the same as it was in 2019, but the blood pressure is lower than it was back then. I started IFing in March and doing HIIT in June.
The data I keep on my phone suggests IF did help me lower my BP, and doing HIIT helped me lower it further.
Losing weight can help with blood pressure, so IF may be a good fit. However, reducing stress, increasing cardio, and lowering your sodium intake can help, too. I’ve been hypertensive since I was 18 (I’m nearly 40 now) and it’s only been since starting IF last year and losing almost 100lbs that my bp has been manageable. I take 6 bp meds a day to stay around 120/70. High blood pressure runs in my family, so I’ll likely be on a bp med for my whole life. But it’s nice to finally have it under control. I wish you luck, OP. If you go the IF route, be sure to let your doctor know so they can adjust your dosages accordingly.
Studies show that IF can help lower BP, yes! However, I have had more success with If and adding keto. If you don’t mind me telling you about it: I had high blood pressure (around the same as you) about three months ago despite being on medication. I started IF on advice from my doctor in regards to insulin resistance. I ended up adding keto because my uncle was doing keto and dropped his BP medication. Then my dad started keto and also cut down his BP medication. I was hesitant to do keto, but was convinced by the results. I’ve been doing keto for two months now and have lost a bit of weight, but I FEEL so much better. My BP reading was 120/82 this morning and my resting heart rate has gotten better as well (I don’t exercise, but sometimes go for light, short walks). I am meeting with my doctor in 10 days and hope to go off medication completely, but we’ll see. I am also getting bloodwork done this week and hope to see better numbers for insulin, A1C, and also cholesterol. I don’t know if it’s IF or keto that is working or just because I lost some weight. Or maybe I’m eating cleaner. Whatever it is, I’m feeling better and my numbers are better. If you want to talk more, I am happy to chat.
edit: here is an article that talks about benefits of fasting