BP and Stroke Risk

[Guest guest]

I came across this recently and this piqued my interest (also by

):

" ...96.0/67.0 mm Hg at the end of the fast and 99.2/67.3 mm Hg at the

end of refeeding. These levels are in agreement with other estimates

of the BP below which stroke events are eliminated, thus suggesting

that these levels could be regarded as the " ideal " BP values. "

Can anyone verify that stroke events are virtually eliminated at this

BP level?

Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of borderline

hypertension.

Goldhamer AC, Lisle DJ, Sultana P, SV, Parpia B, B,

TC.

TrueNorth Health Center, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA. dracg@...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension-related diseases are the leading causes of

morbidity and mortality in industrially developed societies.

Surprisingly, 68% of all mortality attributed to high blood pressure

(BP) occurs with systolic BP between 120 and 140 mm Hg and diastolic

BP below 90 mm Hg. Dietary and lifestyle modifications are effective

in the treatment of borderline hypertension. One such lifestyle

intervention is the use of medically supervised water-only fasting as

a safe and effective means of normalizing BP and initiating

health-promoting behavioral changes. METHODS: Sixty-eight (68)

consecutive patients with borderline hypertension with systolic BP in

excess of 119 mm Hg and diastolic BP less than 91 mm Hg were treated

in an inpatient setting under medical supervision. The treatment

program consisted of a short prefasting period (approximately 1-2 days

on average) during which food consumption was limited to fruits and

vegetables followed by medically supervised water-only fasting

(approximately 13.6 days on average). Fasting was followed by a

refeeding period (approximately 6.0 days on average). The refeeding

program consisted of a low-fat, low-sodium, plant-based, vegan diet.

RESULTS: Approximately 82% of the subjects achieved BP at or below

120/80 mm Hg by the end of the treatment program. The mean BP

reduction was 20/7 mm Hg, with the greatest decrease being observed

for subjects with the highest baseline BP. A linear regression of BP

decrease against baseline BP showed that the estimated BP below which

no further decrease would be expected was 96.0/67.0 mm Hg at the end

of the fast and 99.2/67.3 mm Hg at the end of refeeding. These levels

are in agreement with other estimates of the BP below which stroke

events are eliminated, thus suggesting that these levels could be

regarded as the " ideal " BP values. CONCLUSION: Medically supervised

water-only fasting appears to be a safe and effective means of

normalizing BP and may assist in motivating health-promoting diet and

lifestyle changes.

PMID