High Blood Pressure despite 3.5 weeks on keto?

[JTA762]

Been doing keto steady for the past 3.5 weeks. Been on and off keto since chimponarope and Eileen hung around here and the C-K-D website still existed.

Got a HR monitor yesterday and was surprised by my heart rate. About 100 BPM when standing. Oddly enough, when sitting, HR dropped to high 50's, low 60's. RHR upon awaking is ~70 BPM. Due to the oddity of HR variance, took a blood pressure reading:

137/80 - Prehypertension range

It was my understanding keto lowers blood pressure. Any solutions as to why my BH is so high?

Workouts include bodyweight conditioning (Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade) and kettlebells (Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel Tsatsouline).

Averages of weekly fat consumption:
366 g saturated fat
61 g polyunsaturated fat
199 g monounsaturated fat

Average of 8058 mg of cholesterol/week

At first I didn't add sodium to my food, but when I started getting an unquenchable thirst (despite drinking a gallon+ of water), I started adding salt.

I use tobacco products 2x/day(dip).

Proteins come from hamburger, chicken breast, chicken thighs, eggs and sometimes cheese.

No supplements besides multivitamin, fish oil, calcium, and glucosamine.

Can't afford a gym membership, so I certainly can't afford a doctor visit. Any suggestions for steps I can take to reduce blood pressure?

Thanks all!
Jay

[LiftThenRave]

What kind of shape are you in physically, and mentally? Do you workout?

Tobacco is a vasoconstrictor, did you have a dip in close proximity to the test?

I'd continue to check throughout the day and for a few weeks to make sure you got a good reading. If you are an anxious person, you can raise your bloodpressure unconsciously while you test. This happens to me occasionally at the GP even though I'm fit as a violin.

Lastly, try the meter on other people to see if it's accurate. I had an old one that was very inaccurate.

[JTA762]

I'm in OK physical shape, I think. After a 12 minute set of KB swings, my HR is ~160 to 170 BPM. In 60 seconds after taking a pulse myHR will drop by 33 beats. Mentally, I'm good.

I took my BP this morning, after having 16 oz of water and before drinking coffee. Needless to say, it was too early to have a dip.

Tried the meter on someone else, and they had a good read.

[aaaaaaaaaachooo]

It's times like these that I wish I was a doctor & more knowledgeable on the subject.
*IN* for answers!!

[LiftThenRave]

Keep measuring your blood pressure intermittently to determine if the issue is chronic. If it persists, try switching diets to something more standard and see if it changes then.

Elevated levels of stress can cause this. Try to manage that if it's at all a problem.

Have you had this issue in the past with the ketogenic diet? Or you didn't check back then?

[JTA762]

No issues with keto in the past, first time I checked BP since a doc visit in 2000.

[Grifts]

Do you have any readings from before keto?

[JTA762]

No, unfortunately I don't.

It's possible I had higher readings before starting keto, but I doubt it. I'm sure I would've noticed something. As it is now, I don't feel like there's anything off even though I'm hypertensive.

[JTA762]

I went on Keto Reddit and posted this question. Got a response:

Try increasing salt intake (1500-5000 mg sodium) and add some mineral salt (2500-4700 mg potassium), maybe some magnesium too (300-420 mg). Usually your body regulates sodium/potassium levels better after the first three weeks, but it might be that you haven't adapted fully yet. So try increasing the levels a bit for a week and see if you feel better.
Dehydration can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, and anecdotally the electrolyte imbalance can manifest as orthostatic hypotension. I'm guessing it'll affect your heart rate too, explaining why your heart might need to beat faster when standing up.
With low total body water volume (you lose a lot of water weight the first three weeks) your body might need to constrict blood vessels to keep blood pressure up (or it might be due to lower insulin levels) which could lead to issues with keeping a proper overall blood pressure.
I posted this in another thread:
Mineral Adequate Intake (mg)
Sodium 1500
Potassium 4700
Magnesium 420
Calcium 1000
With keto you might not need the full 4700 mg of potassium, some recommendations are a bit lower at 2500 mg. You excrete more sodium the need for potassium is lower, with a high carb intake a high potassium intake is mostly to balance sodium levels (high insulin levels causes you to retain sodium).
The diuretic (dehydrating) nature of ketosis causes an excretion of three of the body’s primary electrolytes: sodium, potassium, and magnesium (31,40). These three minerals are involved in many processes in the body, one of which is the regulation of muscle contraction, including the heart. Some studies show a net loss of calcium while others do not (31).
To counteract the excretion of minerals on a ketogenic diet, additional mineral intake is required. Although exact amounts most vary, suggested amounts for the three primary electrolytes appear below (26,46):
Sodium: 3-5 grams in addition to the sodium which occurs in food
Potassium: 1 gram in addition to the 1-1.5 grams of potassium which occur in food
Magnesium: 300 mg
"The Ketogenic Diet" by Lyle McDonald, page 79.
It's probably easier to get nutrients through food, or if you need potassium you can use a mineral salt. Using a mineral salt (like Morton's Lite Salt) gives you 2500 mg potassium per 10 gram. A 100 grams of Spinach gives you around 560 mg of potassium, a 100 grams of Avocado gives you about 450 mg of potassium, a 100 grams of beef has about 300 mg.
If you want to supplement potassium look for "Potassium Citrate" as that has good absorption rate, and it's used in some studies as a way to prevent kidney stones. In the US the regular potassium supplements are usually limited to ~100 mg, so most of them are practically useless.
Almonds has 289 mg of magnesium per 100 grams, Spinach has 79 mg magnesium per 100 grams.
Examine.com has a list of some magnesium sources:
A few dietary supplements, usually those that are herbs or food products, may also contain Magnesium. These include:
Basella Alba (Indian Spinach) at 114+/-1mg/100g
King Oyster (Mushroom) at 740+/-230mcg/g
Seeds of Mucuna Pruriens
Seeds of Irvingia Gabonensis (African Mango) at 429+/-0.3ppm dry weight
Royal Jelly at 217.493mg/kg
Examine.com, "Magnesium, Sources".
If you go for magnesium supplements you should look for "Magnesium Citrate" as it has a better absorption rate than other common forms like "Magnesium Oxide". Examine.com has some details under "Forms of Magnesium Supplementation".

[Grifts]

If you are concerned about orthostatic hypotension, you need to take blood pressure reading while laying down, sitting and standing. Take heart rate as well. Start supine, then sitting, then standing.

Do you get lightheaded if you stand up quickly(more than normal if baseline) or even pass out(have someone nearby if so).

How were you positioned when you took your blood pressure this initial time?

What were you doing before you took your blood pressure?

[calutaxi]

No, unfortunately I don't.

It's possible I had higher readings before starting keto, but I doubt it. I'm sure I would've noticed something. As it is now, I don't feel like there's anything off even though I'm hypertensive.

Usually you'll feel it if it's too low (getting lightheaded in general or when you stand up) or way too high (headaches and other fun stuff).

Hate to point out the obvious, but if that's your first BP reading in 13 years you really can't have any idea of what your baseline has been. Keep an eye on it.

In anycase your body is definitely going through a lot of changes when you first start. Once you get settled in and used to it you can start making some little tweaks.

I myself supplement basically everything you have listed. I use lite salt (50% NaCl, 50% k), magnesium, and calcium chews.

[JTA762]

If you are concerned about orthostatic hypotension, you need to take blood pressure reading while laying down, sitting and standing. Take heart rate as well. Start supine, then sitting, then standing.

Do you get lightheaded if you stand up quickly(more than normal if baseline) or even pass out(have someone nearby if so).

How were you positioned when you took your blood pressure this initial time?

What were you doing before you took your blood pressure?

Will do tomorrow morning.

I have gotten lightheaded before when quickly going from sitting to standing. I haven't passed out since I broke my ankle playing HS football.

When I did the BP test, I was sitting. Before the test, I was on the computer (sitting).

[JTA762]

Took another reading. 134/60 and a HR of 60.

Taken sitting down, after having some water with an Airborne tablet in it and before having coffee.