Re: Fiber & Blood Pressure

[Guest guest]

Trish: 90/60 is very CRON-like and not " too low " . As one doctor once told

me (pre-CRON): " you're thin and have low bp; you'll live

forever " ..............

on 6/2/2004 8:02 AM, apricot85 at apricot85@... wrote:

> My blood pressure is tested frequently, & has always been consistently

> low (normal =100/60)... but yesterday was 90/60. I view this

> negatively. I attribute this to using approx 2 T of psyillium w/bit of

> guar mix during the previous 4 days. I have a theory about how this

> fiber & blood pressure interaction might occur. I'm going to try

> eliminating psyllium, reduce guar to about 1 teas.

>

[Guest guest]

Apricot Trish:

Do you really think there is a direct link between your bp and your fiber

intake??? This would be great news if it were so simple! It would be interesting

to hear the results of your experiment - if your BP goes up if you reduce the

fiber?

Unless you feel faint or dizzy I would not worry and be happy. Perhaps you

already do and this is why you have such low numbers!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the British Heart Foundation:

http://www.bhf.org.uk/questions/index.asp?secondlevel=370 & thirdlevel=501#1924

What is low blood pressure?

If your blood pressure is below 90/60 then you have low blood pressure. This

does not necessarily indicate a problem. People with low blood pressure are

generally regarded as fortunate because they tend to live longer than those with

high blood pressure and even those with normal blood pressure.

What are the causes?

There is increasing evidence linking low blood pressure with tiredness,

depression and anxiety, all of which affect your quality of life. Low blood

pressure is sometimes a side effect of tranquillisers, betablockers and other

cardiac drugs. There is also a link between diabetes and low blood pressure that

causes symptoms when you change position. More studies focusing on low blood

pressure are needed so that the causes and possible treatments can be clearly

defined.

What symptoms can it cause?

Low blood pressure sometimes causes faintness or dizziness. If this applies to

you, your doctor will look at your symptoms to see whether there is an

underlying cause. You might feel faint or dizzy particularly when you change

posture (for example when moving from sitting to standing) or after exercising

or eating a meal. This is more common in elderly people where there is some

deterioration in the control of blood pressure.

There are simple things you can do to help to control your symptoms. While

people with high blood pressure need to restrict their salt intake, if you have

low blood pressure, incorporating a little more salt into your diet may help.

Other measures include sleeping with several pillows to raise your head as you

sleep. Some people are advised to wear support stockings to stimulate their

circulation. Sometimes low blood pressure can be the result of medication that

you are taking. If you are on medication, your doctor may wish to alter your

dose.

Only a very small number of people need to take medication for low blood

pressure. Drugs that constrict the arteries can help elderly people who have

symptoms when they change posture.

Will it cause symptoms?

Low blood pressure by itself does not necessarily cause symptoms. If you have

low blood pressure but no symptoms, you will not need treatment and you can

ignore it.

on 6/2/2004 8:02 AM, apricot85 at apricot85@... wrote:

>

>

>

> > My blood pressure is tested frequently, & has always been consistently

>

> > low (normal =100/60)... but yesterday was 90/60.  I view this

>

> > negatively.   I attribute this to using approx 2 T of psyillium w/bit of

>

> > guar mix during the previous 4 days.   I have a theory about how this

>

> > fiber & blood pressure interaction might occur.  I'm going to try

>

> > eliminating psyllium, reduce guar to about 1 teas.

----------------------------------------------------------------

This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

[Guest guest]

My husband, whose pressure is normally 100/70 has been taking an

alpha blocker. This has lowered his BP to 90/60. The other day he

fainted in the shower, falling to the floor, and went in for a series

of tests. It's apparently low blood pressure caused by the

medication. So, 90/60 does not give you a lot of downside leeway.

Mine also runs 90/60 and I am also prone to syncope - blacking out -

when I stand. This presents some danger of hitting your head or

otherwise harming yourself.

Your diet may be so low in salt that you are dropping too low. If

your vision goes out a little when you stand up, it's a warning. My

doctor buddy says to wear pressure stockings if you have this

problem. A little extra salt might be okay for people in this state.

Licorice (the real herb, not the candy) is also a treatment.

This can be an issue for long term CRON when your weight is pretty

low.

--- In , apricot85 <apricot85@a...>

wrote:

> My blood pressure is tested frequently, & has always been

consistently

> low (normal =100/60)... but yesterday was 90/60. I view this

> negatively. I attribute this to using approx 2 T of psyillium

w/bit of

> guar mix during the previous 4 days. I have a theory about how

this

> fiber & blood pressure interaction might occur. I'm going to try

> eliminating psyllium, reduce guar to about 1 teas.

>

> I am prone to various food kicks, & the past week it was the fiber

kick.

> Mostly, I really enjoy the guar flavorings that I make as an

> alternative to food less healthy. But also, I find guar to be very

> helpful in moderating blood sugar & appetite swings.

>

> Also these days, I'm really into the spice from Mrs. Dash :-) I'm

> spicing everything except the guar flavoring. Ayurveda analysis

would

> probably shake it's head at me. :-)

[Guest guest]

Thank you for everyone's thoughts & personal experiences about this ...

exactly what I was hoping for b/c I lack experience & wasn't sure what

to think of the low numbers. I'm not on any other meds (except Actonel)

& haven't noticed any faintness light headedness.

My theory (guess) is based on a previous post to this group sometime

ago, that too much fiber diminished absorption of minerals. My

investigation of guar (fermentable soluble fiber) showed that mineral

absorption is slowed, but not impaired. Conversely, " excessive intake

of nonfermentable fiber [psyllium & mostly non-soluble], typically in

supplemental form, may lead to mineral deficiencies by reducing the

absorption or increasing the excretion of minerals. " (Reference:

http://snipurl.com/6tsb ) In particular, insufficient magnesium can

result in lower BP. (Ref: http://snipurl.com/6tst )

I was excessive with the fiber mix ... all day long for 4 days. I get

BP checked again next Tuesday... will see if reading goes up using just

the guar.

[Guest guest]

I also experience low normal BP typically well below 100/70. I have not

suffered any symptoms other than occasional mild dizziness upon standing up

too quickly, so I stopped standing up quickly. :-)

I have recently started supplementing with 2G of salt (in water) daily. It

seems to correlate with suppressing night time/early morning muscle cramps.

These cramps were bothering me for quite a while (months) and went away

almost immediately upon increasing my salt intake.

The fiber/BP hypothesis sounds interesting. Since diuretics are routinely

prescribed to lower BP. Consuming incompletely hydrated raw fiber could

directly make water unavailable. Further extra fiber consumption could alter

(speed up) the transit time of food in the lower digestive track where some

water is recaptured from waste. If there's an actual impact on water

balance, there could also be some consequent effect on BP. I don't think I'd

consider avoiding fiber from foods even if there was some correlation

proved... maybe drink more water.

JR

-----Original Message-----

From: maxwell_mom [mailto:mrobinso@...]

Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 7:47 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Fiber & Blood Pressure

My husband, whose pressure is normally 100/70 has been taking an

alpha blocker. This has lowered his BP to 90/60. The other day he

fainted in the shower, falling to the floor, and went in for a series

of tests. It's apparently low blood pressure caused by the

medication. So, 90/60 does not give you a lot of downside leeway.

Mine also runs 90/60 and I am also prone to syncope - blacking out -

when I stand. This presents some danger of hitting your head or

otherwise harming yourself.

Your diet may be so low in salt that you are dropping too low. If

your vision goes out a little when you stand up, it's a warning. My

doctor buddy says to wear pressure stockings if you have this

problem. A little extra salt might be okay for people in this state.

Licorice (the real herb, not the candy) is also a treatment.

This can be an issue for long term CRON when your weight is pretty

low.

--- In , apricot85 <apricot85@a...>

wrote:

> My blood pressure is tested frequently, & has always been

consistently

> low (normal =100/60)... but yesterday was 90/60. I view this

> negatively. I attribute this to using approx 2 T of psyillium

w/bit of

> guar mix during the previous 4 days. I have a theory about how

this

> fiber & blood pressure interaction might occur. I'm going to try

> eliminating psyllium, reduce guar to about 1 teas.

>

> I am prone to various food kicks, & the past week it was the fiber

kick.

> Mostly, I really enjoy the guar flavorings that I make as an

> alternative to food less healthy. But also, I find guar to be very

> helpful in moderating blood sugar & appetite swings.

>

> Also these days, I'm really into the spice from Mrs. Dash :-) I'm

> spicing everything except the guar flavoring. Ayurveda analysis

would

> probably shake it's head at me. :-)

[Guest guest]

Agreed. My caution is leaning towards excess ... and for only one

specific fiber in supplement form (psyllium). Excess defined as 50 gms

(about 3 Tbs) per day. I fell into that definition easily.

john roberts wrote:

>I don't think I'd consider avoiding fiber from foods even if there was some

correlation proved... maybe drink more water.

>

> JR

>