A carafe of lemon, cucumber and ginger water

Study on water fasting to normalize blood pressure

Alan Goldhamer et al.

June 2001

Diet, Fasting & Detox

High blood pressure

Alan Goldhamer and several colleagues in the American study looked at the health-promoting effect of fasting on high blood pressure.

For the study, 174 test subjects with systolic blood pressure above 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg or both were given a medically supervised fasting program. This consisted of a two to three-day pre-fasting period with a diet of fruit and vegetables, followed by around ten to eleven days of water fasting and finally a six to seven-day transition to a low-fat, vegan diet.

Almost 90% of the test subjects achieved a blood pressure value lower than 140/90 mmHg in the course of the study, with an average reduction in blood pressure of 37/13 mmHg . The use of antihypertensives was successfully discontinued after treatment by the 6.3% of the sample who were previously taking medication.

The study thus proves that medically supervised water fasting is an effective method of normalizing blood pressure.

The most important information on the study at a glance

Indications: High blood pressure
Institution: Center for Conservative Therapy, Penngrove, Calif, USA
Title: Study on water fasting to normalize blood pressure
Brief description: The study shows that medically supervised water fasting is an effective method of normalizing blood pressure.
Original title: Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension
Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11416824/