Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of borderline hypertension.

Medically supervised water-only fasting may be an effective treatment for borderline hypertension.

This study examined the effectiveness of medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of borderline hypertension. Qualified medical personnel supervised the administration of a water-only fasting therapy to 68 borderline hypertensive patients with blood pressures higher than 119/91 mm Hg in a clinic for 21-22 days. This therapy included 1-2 day pre-fasting phase during which patients were allowed to consume only fruits and vegetables, a13.6 day water-only fasting phase, and a 6-day re-feeding phase during which subjects were placed on plant-based, low-fat, and low-sodium vegetarian diets.

At the conclusion of the treatment, researchers discovered that the blood pressures of 82% of the subjects had decreased at the rate of 20/7 mm Hg. The greatest drop was seen in patients with the highest blood pressure values. No further reduction was observed below 96.0/67.0 mm Hg and 99.2/67.3 mm Hg (the estimated ideal blood pressure values) at the end of the fasting and re-feeding phase respectively in this study. The results of this study show that medically supervised water-only fasting may be effective for treating borderline hypertensive patients.