Diet and BP - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

Kato1421 · 09-02-2004, 07:09 PM

It appears some minor changes in diet can have affect on the BP, at least for me anyway. Here is my story. I made some minor adjustment on my diet around early May this year.

Before my changes. My BP was around 140/85 while taking Norvasc 10mg and Benica 40mg.

I noticed my BP has gone done a bit around early Auguest and stay low that way up to now. My current BP is around 130/70 with ONLY Norvasic 10mg.

Here are my diet changes:
- Switched from coffee to green tea. I used to drink 2 cups of coffee a day.
- Switched from milk to soymilk
- Eat whole wheat bread/cereal
- Increase intake of fruit. Mostly water melon (side effect more pee at night)

jtu91952 · 09-02-2004, 07:41 PM

Yes high fiber also helps lower bp.

Kato1421 · 09-11-2004, 09:54 AM

For what its worth. A study on BP and soymilk.

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/7/1900

Kato1421 · 09-14-2005, 08:06 PM

Just an update. After one year of changing my diet, my current BP is about 125/70 with only 5mg of Norvasic for the past 6 months. I hope one day I can get off the BP drug completely.

Uff-Da! · 09-14-2005, 11:08 PM

That is terrific! Good for you. It is so good to hear such encouraging news.

I was able to get off BP meds last January after being on them for five years. Much of the improvement was due to a reduction in stress, but I finally got off the meds entirely after dietary changes, as well. My major changes were in reduction of bad carbs, lower meat consumption (though I was never a really big meat-eater), and increased fruit and vegetable consumption. My current unmedicated BP seems to be averaging around 125/70, but it is highly variable. In the last two weeks it has ranged from 96/66 to 160/79, and those are all resting pressures without feeling under particular stress. So if I can pare off a few more points from the higher readings, I'd be happy.

Thanks so much for the link to the soy milk study. I've never tried soy milk, but with an average reduction of 18 points systolic and nearly 16 points diastolic in that study, I've got to at least try it. Not that I have any desire to have it twice a day like in the study, but a smaller amount might still give some benefit.