Keto dieters often report experiencing low blood pressure during their transition into ketosis. Why might this happen?
The ketogenic diet has become very popular over the last decade or so. This type of diet involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat consumption.
Many people who try the ketogenic diet experience some side effects such as headaches, fatigue, constipation, nausea, and muscle cramps.
Low blood pressure is a common symptom of dehydration. When you start consuming fewer carbohydrates, your body starts producing less insulin. Insulin helps regulate water levels in the body.
If you don’t drink enough fluids, your body produces less insulin, causing your blood sugar level to rise. As a result, your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure drops.
What Is Blood Pressure?
Your blood pressure measures how much force the blood exerts against the walls of your arteries during each heartbeat.
Your blood pressure is determined based on two measurements: your systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
The systolic blood pressure represents the amount of pressure exerted by the blood inside the artery while your heart contracts.
Normal systolic blood pressure ranges from 90 mm Hg to 120 mmHg. If you have a systolic blood pressure reading above 120 mm Hg, you are considered hypertensive.
Diastolic blood pressure represents the pressure exerted by the blood outside the artery while your heart relaxes.
Normal diastolic blood pressure ranges from 60 mm Hg to 80 mm Hg. If you have a diastolic blood pressure reading above 80 mm Hg, you’re considered hypertensive.
What Is Hypertension?
Hypertension is a condition where the long-lasting force of blood against the wall of an artery is too high.
A person with normal blood pressure has systolic pressures ranging from 120 to 140 mmHg and diastolic pressures ranging from 80 to 90 mmHg. High blood pressure causes damage to the body over time.
Blood pressure is measured by the volume of blood pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart per unit of time, and how much resistance there is to the flow of blood.
If you measure the speed of blood flowing into a vessel, it is called arterial pulse wave velocity.
The risk of developing hypertension increases with age, weight gain, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, diabetes, poor nutrition, and stress.
What Is Hypotension?
Hypotension is defined as having a systolic blood pressure (the top number) lower than 120 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
This occurs when there isn’t enough blood being pumped into the arteries. In most cases, it happens because the heart isn’t pumping out enough blood.
However, some people are born with low blood pressure, and it’s called primary hypertension.
While low blood pressure often goes unnoticed, it can become dangerous over time.
People with low blood pressure are at risk for developing complications such as stroke, kidney disease, congestive heart failure, and blindness.
Is A Low-carb (Keto) Diet Good For High Blood Pressure?
The ketogenic diet can lower blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension.
People following a low-carbohydrate diet experience significant drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to those who are eating a typical American diet.
Researchers believe that the diet could be beneficial for patients with resistant hypertension due to its ability to reduce insulin resistance and improve lipid profiles.
However, it does come with some risks, including weight loss, dehydration, constipation, and kidney stones.
Will the Keto Diet Lower Blood Pressure?
A ketogenic diet isn’t just about weight loss. It’s also about lowering your blood pressure.
And while there are many health benefits to following a Keto diet, one of the most important reasons why people choose to do so is because it lowers blood pressure.
Eating less sugar and processed food, and eating more natural fats, can help lower blood pressure. But what does that mean?
What exactly happens to your body when you start eating a lot of fat, and no carbs? Read on to find out how a keto diet can lower blood pressure.
How Does Keto Help With Blood Pressure?
Obesity is a leading cause of high blood pressure. But there are other ways you could be causing it. Here are some common causes of hypertension (high blood pressure):
- Smoking cigarettes
- Alcoholism
- A sedentary lifestyle
Keto helps because it reduces inflammation, improves insulin sensitivity, and increases energy levels. These factors contribute to weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease.
The ketogenic diet has been around since 1920. It involves eating high amounts of fats, moderate amounts of proteins, and low amounts of carbohydrates.
This type of diet is often used to treat epilepsy in children. However, many people use it to lose weight and improve their health.
A study published in 2017 revealed the ketogenic diet could lower blood pressure in those who are overweight. Other research suggests the same thing.
A review article published in 2018 found that the ketogenic diet improved blood pressure in obese individuals. Another study found that the diet helped reduce blood pressure in patients with prehypertension.
A 2016 study showed that the ketogenic diet increased HDL cholesterol levels while decreasing triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels.
Researchers believe this change occurs because saturated fats are replaced with unsaturated fats.
These are just some studies that have been conducted over the years to monitor the effects of the ketogenic diet on blood pressure and to put into perspective how useful the diet can be.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to get healthy, try the ketogenic diet. You may notice improvements in your overall health within one week.
It has been known to drop high blood pressure because of the changes to your body that have been made due to the change in diet. If you have any questions about how the ketogenic diet affects your blood pressure, talk to your doctor.
