Keto Diet and Hypertension: All You Need to Know

Obesity and cardiovascular disease treatment are some of today’s most difficult and essential concerns. Weight loss is frequently recommended as a treatment to help with some of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Ketogenic diets, which are low in carbs and high in fats and/or proteins, have gained favor among diverse diets.

When individuals replace heavy carbohydrates and sugars with healthy fats, proteins, and nutrient-dense reduced carb foods, the ketogenic diet can provide a slew of health benefits. There are many misconceptions regarding the ketogenic diet’s effects on heart health, so let’s take a look at what the evidence says about the keto diet and blood pressure. You might be shocked to learn that going keto has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce hypertension thanks to technological innovations and studies.

What Is a Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that resembles the Atkins and low-carb diets in many ways. It entails substantially lowering carbohydrate intake and substituting fat. This decrease in carbs causes your body to enter a metabolic state known as ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic adaptation that allows the body to survive starvation. Instead of sugar or glucose from carbohydrates, your body will break down ketone bodies, a form of fuel produced by the liver from fat. To get into ketosis, you must consume 75 percent of your calories from fat, versus 20-35 percent usually. It also necessitates 5% of daily calories from carbohydrates (20-50 grams) and 15% of daily calories from protein. Ketosis takes roughly 72 hours, according to Kleinman.

Foods like fatty fish, eggs, dairy, meat, butter, oils, nuts, seeds, and low-carb vegetables constitute a keto diet. Fat bombs, such as unsweetened chocolate or coconut oil, can assist people in meeting their daily fat intake goals. Foods that are keto-compliant, such as red meat and nuts, can be expensive.

What Is Hypertension

Hypertension is a common disorder in which the blood pressure against the arterial walls is excessively high over time. This can result in issues such as heart disease. Blood pressure can be measured using a home blood pressure monitor when you do not have access to hospitals.

The amount of blood pumped by the heart and the degree of resistance to blood flow in the arteries are used to calculate blood pressure. As the arteries shrink and the heart pumps more blood, blood pressure rises. Some people have hypertension yet don’t show any signs or symptoms.

Exercise, stress, anxiety, fear, agitation, and other powerful emotions can all cause blood pressure to rise. Even holding your breath for a few seconds might cause your blood pressure to rise by a few points. From one reading to the next, your blood pressure will never be precisely the same. The general range of readings and how much they fluctuate are the most critical factors.

A ketogenic diet can lower the risk of hypertension. Promising research continues to show how cutting carbs and increasing healthy fats can help the heart and circulatory system.

Is the Keto Diet Healthy?

The ketogenic diet is primarily used by my patients to lose weight. Previous research has shown that patients who follow a ketogenic or very low carbohydrate diet lose weight faster than those who follow a more standard low-fat diet or even a Mediterranean diet. However, the weight loss disparity appears to fade over time.

A ketogenic diet has also been proven to enhance blood sugar management in type 2 diabetic patients, at least temporarily. When it comes to the influence on cholesterol levels, there is even more debate. According to a few studies, some individuals’ cholesterol levels rise at first, then reduce a few months later. There are, however, no long-term studies examining its effects on diabetes and high cholesterol over time.

A ketogenic diet may be an appealing treatment option for certain diseases and may help you lose weight faster. But it’s difficult to stick to because it’s high in fatty, processed, and salty foods, all of which are notoriously bad. We also don’t know much about its long-term impacts, because it’s so difficult to maintain that most individuals can’t eat this way for very long.

Low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, dietary shortages, and an increased risk of heart disease have all been linked to the keto diet. Strict diets, such as keto, can lead to social isolation and disordered eating. Keto is not recommended for anyone who has problems with their pancreas, liver, thyroid, or gallbladder.

Before beginning any new diet, speak with your primary care physician.

Aware: High Fat in Keto Diet

Because the keto diet requires so much fat, followers must consume fat at every meal. That would be 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 75 grams of protein in a daily 2,000-calorie diet. The actual ratio, however, is determined by your specific requirements.

The keto diet allows some beneficial unsaturated fats, such as nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds, avocados, tofu, and olive oil. Saturated fats from oils (palm, coconut), lard, butter, and cocoa butter, on the other hand, are recommended in large quantities.

The keto diet includes protein, but it doesn’t distinguish between lean protein items and saturated fat-rich protein sources like beef, pork, and bacon.

Although all fruits are high in carbohydrates, certain fruits (typically berries) can be consumed in small amounts. Leafy greens (such as kale, Swiss chard, and spinach), cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, and summer squashes are the only vegetables (which are also high in carbs).

The risks of a ketogenic diet are numerous. Top on the list: it contains a lot of saturated fat. Because of the association between saturated fats and heart disease, you should limit them to no more than 7% of your daily calories. The keto diet is connected to an increase in “bad” LDL cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease.

A Better Choice: Dash Diet

DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is a nutritious eating plan that can help you manage or avoid high blood pressure.

The Mediterranean and DASH diets are both plant-based diets that are high in fruits and vegetables, nuts, low-fat and non-fat dairy, lean meats, fish, and poultry, whole grains, and heart-healthy fats. Together, they’re ideal. To satisfy your hunger, you eat delectable fruits and vegetables together with protein-rich foods. This results in a plan that is really simple to follow.

Foods high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium are included in the DASH diet. These nutrients aid with blood pressure management. The diet restricts sodium-rich, saturated-fat-rich, and sugar-rich foods.

The DASH diet has been demonstrated in studies to decrease blood pressure in as little as two weeks. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood can also be reduced by eating a healthy diet. Two main risk factors for heart disease and stroke are excessive blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol levels.

You may find that your food tastes different as you reduce your intake of processed, high-sodium items. It could take some time for your taste buds to acclimatize. However, once it does, you may find that you prefer the DASH diet.

Conclusion

There is no such thing as a universally beneficial diet. Do your homework, talk to a dietitian, talk to your doctor,talk to our experts at Raycome and make sure you’re staying safe and have access to a blood pressure monitor, to keep your sugar levels in check.