Salt, isolated systolic hypertension, and working out?

[FeelingLost]

I've read that one should increase their potassium and sodium intake before exersize that they help your muscle movement.
So I have been adding pink sea salt to several meals during the day.

I can't really tell if it is helping me in the gym( lasting longer, greater pumps) but it has raised my blood pressure by 20 points putting me in the isolated systolic hypertension zone.
(blood pressure measurement — greater than 140 mm Hg, you have a common type of high blood pressure called isolated systolic hypertension)

This morning BP 3/19/18



Typical BP before adding the salt.



Other random BP before adding salt.



What should I do? Stop adding salt?

 

[Vince]

Do you have your sodium levels checked? When I do not add any salt to to food I'm eating, my levels are low normal. When I add salt and I do like the taste of salt, my levels are high normal. So when I add salt or don't, my sodium levels are always in the normal range.

I do check my blood pressure daily and when I add sodium, my blood pressure does not increase.

 

[Vince Carter]

I've read that one should increase their potassium and sodium intake before exersize that they help your muscle movement.
So I have been adding pink sea salt to several meals during the day.

I can't really tell if it is helping me in the gym( lasting longer, greater pumps) but it has raised my blood pressure by 20 points putting me in the isolated systolic hypertension zone.
(blood pressure measurement — greater than 140 mm Hg, you have a common type of high blood pressure called isolated systolic hypertension)

This morning BP 3/19/18



Typical BP before adding the salt.



Other random BP before adding salt.



What should I do? Stop adding salt?

Maybe a little OCD jacks your BP.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I know you have (or had) high HCT. this is also causative. My BP is up as well, around 10-15 points from baseline with high HCT on TRT. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10411372

 

[FeelingLost]

I know you have (or had) high HCT. this is also causative. My BP is up as well, around 10-15 points from baseline with high HCT on TRT. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10411372

I have had some issues with HCT in the past but not right now. see below. This Feb 2018 blood test was on .25 Tcyp M,W,F for 2 months. I'm now doing .16 M,W,F.



"Do you have your sodium levels checked? -Vince"

Hi Vince, I don't, unless it is just one of the std test Defy has me do during TRT checkups.
I'm going to cutout the salt and see if the pressure goes back down.
I have not changed anything else TRT or supplement wise so it's got to be the salt.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

Awesome! Congrats! Hoping mine comes down as well. Getting a CBC wednesday.

 

[Dr Justin Saya MD]

Increased salt intake = increased fluid retention (intravascular) = increased fluid volume intravascular = increased blood pressure.

The body “holds” more fluid to dilute the serum sodium so we often don’t see high sodium levels on labs unless a patient is concurrently dehydrated.

 

[blackebob]

I was fighting my blood pressure when I was feeling my best on Androgel in 2016. I went to my GP on a Monday afternoon after watching my BP creep up from 140/90 to 170/105.
First thing he said was your gonna go on a ace inhibitors, beta blockers,blah blah blah.
I said no, I dont want to, and he said what did you eat last night?
I said I had two Marie Calender chicken pot pies, it was a late game for the Royals.
What did you drink?
Probably a twelve pack of beer.

Snacks?

Family size bag of crunchy cheetos, it was my cheat day.

So how much salt do you think you had?

Now that I think of it probably around 10kmg or more, probably more.

Maybe you should lay off the salt, and I did. '

Salt is my enemy, period.

 

[pistolero]

"What should I do? Stop adding salt?"

Your post proves that adding salt ups your BP. If you are worried about the raised BP then, yes, stop adding salt.

"I have been adding pink sea salt to several meals during the day."

If you are often, for example, running in severely high temps for several miles at a time, doing long workouts with really profuse sweating, then maybe some added sodium before such activity would be beneficial. Just reading that "additional sodium helps before a workout" and then adding extra salt to all your meals, isn't really the same thing.

 

[FeelingLost]

Thank you fellas. I did stop the salt today and spent 2.5 hours in the gym did not really notice the lack of extra salt. Tonights bedtime checks already show improvements.

 

[madman]

I've read that one should increase their potassium and sodium intake before exersize that they help your muscle movement.
So I have been adding pink sea salt to several meals during the day.

I can't really tell if it is helping me in the gym( lasting longer, greater pumps) but it has raised my blood pressure by 20 points putting me in the isolated systolic hypertension zone.
(blood pressure measurement — greater than 140 mm Hg, you have a common type of high blood pressure called isolated systolic hypertension)

This morning BP 3/19/18



Typical BP before adding the salt.



Other random BP before adding salt.



What should I do? Stop adding salt?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5431073/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4176919/

 

[Vince]

You could read Volek and Phinney's Art and Science of Low Carb living. They describe in detail the symptoms of sodium deficiency and the reason why they can appear on a low-carb diet.

 

[FeelingLost]

You could read Volek and Phinney's Art and Science of Low Carb living. They describe in detail the symptoms of sodium deficiency and the reason why they can appear on a low-carb diet.

Thanks for the lead Vince I'll check it out. I am not on a low carb diet.
As I understand it from body builders on this forum you need lots of protein and carbs to build / bulk up muscles. Which is my current goal.

My diet is 35% protein, 35% simple carbs (low GI <30), 30% good fats, zero added sugar and now zero added salt.

Since I quit the 500 extra calories (lean bulking thing) I have been able get my body fat between 12-14% just using the caliper pinch method.
My weight has gone from 194 to 200 and I believe that is mostly muscle since I have had to buy new smaller pants and a belt.
My biceps have grown from 14.1 to 16"