Blood pressure/ Dementia/ keto

(Robert R Messerschmidt) #1

I am posting this here because the keto life style corrects many afflictions other then type 2 diabetes.
This speaks to the why that has brought me to the keto
way of life. I am 60 years old. I have cancer, diabetes,
and Alzheimer’s that run in my family. I would normally
check the validity of this type of post but…

"Lower Blood Pressure Can Lead to Dementia
Drug companies are no doubt thrilled about the new blood pressure guidelines issued this week by the American Heart Association.
Overnight, the market for blood pressure medications skyrocketed.
Thanks to the new guidelines, nearly half of all American adults are now classified as having hypertension. Among people over 65, the figure is 80%.
High blood pressure is now defined as 130/80 mm/Hg or higher. Previously it was 140/90.
The next time you see your doctor, the chances are greater than ever you’ll walk out with a prescription for a hypertension drug. And if you’re already on a blood pressure medication, you may be prescribed a higher dosage. Or an additional drug to make sure your numbers fall under the new recommendations.
But seniors, more than any other age group, should be cautious about following the new guidelines.

Why High Blood Pressure Is Good for Older Brains
A study released earlier this year found that the elderly may need higher blood pressure to stave off brain aging. Research at the University of California, Irvine showed that hypertension may be your body’s way of preventing dementia.
Scientists spent three years tracking the blood pressure and onset of dementia in 559 people in their 90s. Initially, all of them had sharp minds.
After three years, 40% began to show signs of dementia. But high blood pressure seemed to be protective. Subjects with hypertension were 42% less likely to develop dementia.
And participants whose high blood pressure began late in life were 63% less likely to develop dementia.

You Need High Blood Pressure as You Age
Maria Corrada is a professor of neurology and epidemiology at the University of California, Irvine. She is the study’s lead author.
“We find that hypertension (in the elderly) is actually associated with reduced dementia risk,” she said. “It’s a matter of creating enough pressure to oxygenate the brain adequately.”
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The researchers theorize that the body increases blood pressure in older people to ensure adequate blood flow to the brain. This is because the cardiovascular system weakens with age.
As you get older, the walls of arteries become thicker. Some blood vessels die. Your heart gets weaker. Less blood gets to your brain and other organs. Increased blood flow is a way to overcome these circulatory issues.
But if you take blood pressure medication, you are suppressing your body’s natural defense against weaker circulation.
No matter what the new guidelines say… Lower is not always better when it comes to blood pressure.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Executive Director
INH Health Watch "

(betsy.rome) #2

How appropo that to “like” this post, you click on a heart!
Wow, so high blood pressure is the next item in the series of “Everything they told you is WRONG”. Really makes sense about needing higher blood pressure to oxygenate the brain.

One thing keto has not done for me is lower my BP enough to stop taking meds to get in “normal” range (or, what used to considered normal). Losing weight has enabled me to get off of 1 of the 3 meds I was taking (Lisinopril), but I still take Metoprolol and Amlopidine daily. I’m 10-15 lbs from goal, so not sure if achieving a normal weight will accomplish my blood pressure goals. I’m slowly adding exercise, maybe that will help.

(Robert R Messerschmidt) #3

I have found the same result. My wife and I have been keto for 4 months and our bps have not come down at all. We have a bp cuff and test regularly and what we have seen is that we are stable. But I have concerns that when I see my doc again she will want me to go on
some sort of drug for it. I need her in my corner but I won’t go there.

(Steve Stephenson) #4


The author, H. Gilbert Welch, is a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and the author of
Less Medicine, More Health: 7 Assumptions That Drive Too Much Medical Care

(Steve Stephenson) #5

I think the article site is


You Need High Blood Pressure as You Age

Maria Corrada is a professor of neurology and epidemiology at the University of California, Irvine. She is the study’s lead author.
“We find that hypertension (in the elderly) is actually associated with reduced dementia risk,” she said. “It’s a matter of creating enough pressure to oxygenate the brain adequately.”
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

A reference explains the study in more depth:


E.g.,

  1. All participants are from an ongoing, long-term study of people age 90 and older known as The 90+ Study.
  2. At enrollment, participants did not have dementia, were 93 years old on average, and 69 percent female. They received dementia assessments every six months during the study period.
  3. During the follow-up period, 224 (40%) of the participants were diagnosed with dementia.
  4. The researchers found that study participants who reported hypertension onset at age 80 to 89 were 42 percent less likely to develop dementia after age 90 compared to those who reported no history of high blood pressure.
  5. Participants whose hypertension began at age 90 or older were at even lower risk–63 percent less likely to develop dementia. These associations were statistically significant and independent of whether participants were taking medications to treat hypertension.
  6. “We need to understand the bigger picture of what protects brain health throughout our entire lives, including our later years,” said Dr. Carrillo. “Looking at dementia in this group is critical since it is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population with the highest rate of dementia.”

So unless you’re over 90, this study probably does not apply to you.

(Keith C) #6

I have experienced a 20 point drop in systolic and diastolic pressures after 3.5 weeks. I am 62. I now realize this isn’t a hokey diet. Quite contrary, a most serious science.

I had what was considered a healthy range of BP prior to ketogenisis, 120/70. This am my BP was 102 over 62 and a pulse of 52 after a few light physical tasks and 2 cups of deliciously caffeinated single source coffee(bit of a coffee snob). I would imagine if I am interpreting the study and other guidelines I am in a healthy range without meds.

I am fortunate and reach for humility or engagement with other activities beyond the cultural space as often as I can, meaning I utilize exercise,reading,distraction, and the common social ties I am committed to, not as well as we were once able to in a previously fragile social scene as has been revealed.

I went keto to quit eating every hour or so and to not carry food around as I did in my career with it’s physical and caloric needs,nor sustainable or necessary when you realize the anchor of so many negative attributes and some positive with consuming too many “crackahydrates,” my Aunt and I came up with that term as we texted back and forth on the unhealthy producing byproducts of this entire food category resulting in so many comorbidities now exposed as an even more critical to survival with the pandemic exposing so many fissures in our world.

That’s ironically why there is so much comedy/tragedy (changing the subject, you think)

Happy 4th even if we are on the Titanic, we can have music, make music, as we find creative solutions off this ship, Eat,Drink and be Merry on special occasions, ah ha,

Cheers to you and yours, Kc.