WFPB and blood pressure

[Indigo Blue]

I watched How Not to Die for the second time last night. Because….no interest in Super Bowl, and DH was at a friend’s house watching it. 

So, I’ve always had low (well, normal but on the lower end) blood pressure. I’ve also most always been a vegetarian, (now leaning vegan) eating pretty healthy, not perfect, some times  better than other times. 

It was 105/76 yesterday. I’ve noticed when I work out in the yard on a hot day, I have to be careful to drink enough or I’ll find myself leaning up against a tree from feeling woozy. It only happens when I repeatedly stand up and bend down, like when picking up branches from the yard. I’ve often wondered why this is. 

I had never connected it before, but it made me wonder when watching the video if my blood pressure is low because of my diet. 🤔

Anyway, does anyone else have low or lower blood pressure because of their vegan/vegetarian whole food diet?

If I notice this happening, I will drink lemon water with a little sodium in it and feel better. 
 

 

[Kassia]

I have low blood pressure and my sodium level gets really low - sometimes dangerously low.  I'm a vegetarian but I don't eat a balanced diet.  I get lightheaded very easily - always have.  105/76 doesn't seem that low to me - I wonder if the wooziness is related to something else - blood sugar?  Sodium?  Can you try changing positions slowly from bending to standing - I would imagine that would make most people feel off because of the change of blood flow to the brain.  Like if you feel faint, you're supposed to put your head down between your knees to increase blood flow to the brain.  I don't know...just rambling here, sorry!  Hope someone else is more helpful!  

 

[Indigo Blue]

Thanks.

If 105 isn’t that low, then it could be that I don’t drink enough. I was thinking 120 was more the average, especially since I’m 57. 

Anyway, I was just curious to see if others here who are WFPB have lower blood pressure from their diet, as claimed in the video….just anecdotal comparison. 

[Selkie]

105/76 is normal blood pressure. 

From what I've read, normal blood pressure is defined as 90-119 systolic over 60-79 diastolic.

[wintermom]

That BP level seems just fine. Mine is in the 90s over 60s range. Bending over and standing up quickly is going to make lots of people feel temporarily dizzy. Just do the actions slower, 

My ds has low BP as well. I believe it's more a genetic factor than diet-based. We're both omnivores. 😊

Edited February 14, 2022 by wintermom

[Corraleno]

I had a wake-up call at my annual physical last April when my BP was 130/80, which is the cutoff for hypertension. Although I was vegetarian, I was consuming a lot of eggs and high-fat dairy, and the BP measurement, plus seeing my cholesterol and triglyceride numbers creeping up, is what motivated me to go fully WFPB in May. I haven't had my annual physical yet, but according to a home BP monitor I am now down to 115/75 (and have lost 27 lbs so far).

[Pawz4me]

I've eaten mostly (healthy) vegetarian for almost 35 years. I've always had low/low normal BP, but I don't know that they're necessarily connected. I tend to think it's more genetic than anything. The lowest that I know mine has been was 96/54. I think it scared the nurse a little bit, because she repeatedly asked if I felt okay and I had to reassure her multiple times that I felt fine. I do feel terrible in heat/humidity, but I believe that's because of my autoimmune issues.

[Katy]

It’s normal, it’s definitely connected to diet. Make sure to get more fluid & salt when you’re dehydrated.

[Indigo Blue]

Just thinking about this last night. He believes that high bp is not an inevitable part of aging. There is probably truth to this, though it may not be true for every person. I think, collectively, it could be true….. and that it’s not necessarily a given as you age, if eating as he prescribes. 

[wintermom]

My thought about a book that states that only diet can prevent and reverse anything health-wise is that it's just wrong. There are multiple factors, with genetics playing a huge role. Exercise, smoking, alcohol, stress, age, gender all play major roles in health. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by wintermom

[Indigo Blue]

Dh blood pressure is good, but not as low as mine. He does eat meat and dairy, although I try to keep everything healthy as much as possible. No fast food, whole food much as possible. If I’m being honest, I wish he would be happy without eating meat. But I can’t force him. He doesn’t have meat every day, but he does have dairy almost every day. 

[Kassia]

27 minutes ago, wintermom said:

My thought about a book that states that only diet can prevent and reverse anything health-wise is that it's just wrong. There are multiple factors, with genetics playing a huge role. 

I know many people with cholesterol issues and one with diabetes that have nothing to do with their lifestyles and everything to do with genetics or things out of their control.  It's very frustrating.  

[Selkie]

I am in several WFPB groups and there are many, many members whose blood pressure and cholesterol have gone from unhealthy to optimal when they changed to a WFPB diet of greens, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds with no animal products, processed foods, or oils. 

The only time I've heard of blood pressure going TOO low on a WFPB diet is when people are on blood pressure meds and change their diet, then experience a big drop because they are still taking meds that they no longer need.

[Shoeless]

I eat meat and dairy and my BP recently registered as 86/54. Almost passed out and felt like hot garbage. My issue was overtraining, not diet. I have Hashimotos disease and pushed myself too hard without enough recovery time. 

If you suddenly switch from eating a mostly fast food or processed food diet to wfpb, then yeah, I would expect to see big changes in bp. I don't think that way of eating would drop already normal BP into low-normal category, though, unless you were regularly exercising, too. 

 

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said:

Just thinking about this last night. He believes that high bp is not an inevitable part of aging. There is probably truth to this, though it may not be true for every person. I think, collectively, it could be true….. and that it’s not necessarily a given as you age, if eating as he prescribes. 

You might be interested in the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. He's a surgeon and researcher at the Cleveland Clinic who has studied the effects of nutrition on heart disease and is a huge proponent of the WFPB diet.

https://smile.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VC8ETZBDFLVO&keywords=caldwell+esselstyn+prevent+and+reverse+heart+disease&qid=1644875045&sprefix=caldwell+essel%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

[Indigo Blue]

2 minutes ago, Selkie said:

You might be interested in the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. He's a surgeon and researcher at the Cleveland Clinic who has studied the effects of nutrition on heart disease and is a huge proponent of the WFPB diet.

https://smile.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VC8ETZBDFLVO&keywords=caldwell+esselstyn+prevent+and+reverse+heart+disease&qid=1644875045&sprefix=caldwell+essel%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

I read some things by him several years back. It seemed interesting then, but at that time I was skeptical and wondered if it just weren’t yet another book someone put out just to make some money. I have since become more interested in it all. I think it’s fascinating. I think I watched a documentary with him in it. Wasn’t he once a cattle farmer or something? Or am I thinking of someone else?

I think, tbh, all the studies on this topic are very compelling.

Thanks for the link!

[Selkie]

4 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

I read some things by him several years back. It seemed interesting then, but at that time I was skeptical and wondered if it just weren’t yet another book someone put out just to make some money. I have since become more interested in it all. I think it’s fascinating. I think I watched a documentary with him in it. Wasn’t he once a cattle farmer or something? Or am I thinking of someone else?

I think, tbh, all the studies on this topic are very compelling.

Thanks for the link!

Dr. Esselstyn is in the documentary Forks Over Knives. He grew up on a farm, as did T. Colin Campbell, the nutrition scientist who is also featured.

[Indigo Blue]

6 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Dr. Esselstyn is in the documentary Forks Over Knives. He grew up on a farm, as did T. Colin Campbell, the nutrition scientist who is also featured.

Yes. That was it. Their livelihoods were once based on the meat industry, but now they are writing, speaking, and making documentaries based on their experiences as doctors about how, according to their research, it’s not an optimally healthy  way of eating.

[fraidycat]

My blood pressure is always on the low end and I am not vegetarian/vegan. As a matter of fact, I probably do not eat enough vegetables/legumes. 

[Selkie]

38 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Yes. That was it. Their livelihoods were once based on the meat industry, but now they are writing, speaking, and making documentaries based on their experiences as doctors about how, according to their research, it’s not an optimally healthy  way of eating.

Yes, exactly - the meat and dairy industries.

T Colin Campbell actually started his scientific career by trying to figure out ways to increase animal protein in people's diets. Then he discovered that consumption of animal protein is linked to increased risks of cancer, heart disease, and other serious health problems - and he completely reversed course. 

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said:

He believes that high bp is not an inevitable part of aging. There is probably truth to this, though it may not be true for every person. I think, collectively, it could be true….. and that it’s not necessarily a given as you age, if eating as he prescribes. 

I agree that hypertension is not an inevitable part of aging, although there are physiological factors that generally contribute to increased BP as we age, and obviously weight and activity level play a role there as well. I had quite low BP when I was young, thin, and a lot more active, even when I was eating an absolute crap diet. But there's no way I could eat that way now, at my age, and still have a BP of 100/60. So I think the older you get the more important diet and exercise are in keeping BP down.

My parents have always eaten a typical American diet that is very high in meat, eggs, dairy, fat, sugar, and processed foods, and they were both on multiple prescription meds for BP and cholesterol before they were the age I am now. I can remember them complaining at various times about medications interfering with other medications and having to tweak dosages or add yet another medication to compensate. They have both had heart attacks and my mother has had several mini strokes.  They are still alive in their 80s, but are barely mobile and are on a boatload of medications that they need timers and pill organizers to keep track of. So there seems to be a genetic predisposition there, and I think if I ate the way they eat I would likely be in the same boat, since my cholesterol and BP were definitely heading into medication-needed territory before I went fully WFPB. And my BP has come down significantly without any increase in exercise, just the (significant) change in diet.