Anyone taking an aged garlic supplement? Keep seeing ads for those purporting to help with blood pressure and cholesterol. Wondering if they are worth the $$$

Have you tried Super Beets? After my stroke I took them for a month to lower blood pressure.

Why did you stop taking them

southernboy1 said:

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Why did you stop taking them

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I took my blood pressure the entire time and it leveled. Hasn't gone back up since. I take baby aspirin and atorvistatin everyday.

How come you're looking to take it? Are your numbers already good, and your trying to just improve it a bit? Or doctor said you need to be on meds and you're looking for an alternative?

If the former, then go for it. You might get some benefit. If the latter, then odds are any improvement will not be sufficient to make a difference. Some of these supplements do have a statistically significant effect on improving numbers, but not clinically signficant. So like if they reduce your BP by 3 points, that's cool. But if you're running around with a BP of 160, then 3 points isn't gonna make a big difference.

Same thing with blueberries or cinnamon and blood sugar. Pharmaceuticals are, in general, just way more potent.

I am type 2 diabetic, and the beet supplement raises my blood sugar.

It is always around 135/90 at Dr, so she put me on meds. At home it is usually better- 125/82 average. I would like to get off meds, but as a type 2 diabetic they worry about heart issues. Btw I will not take a statin, and really don't worry about my cholesterol at all, but standard of care is always to prescribe a T2 with a statin.

What is your apprehension behind starting a statin? Have you had an advanced lipid panel done?

Regarding blood pressure, the latest data seems to suggest that the lowest you can go, without being symptomatic, the better it is on your heart and blood vessels.


And I suspect the reason why guidelines suggest those with T2DM get put on a statin is because data shows that they often have metabolic syndrome, and the combination of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia has a compounding effect from each other on potential for vascular disease - hypertension on top of it will make it even worse.

Type 2 is reversible, why not go on a low carb diet?

I am on the carnivore diet since Jan 2. Doing well- I do eat onions and pickles about once a week, otherwise have been 100% carnivore. From what I've read 6-9 months should see a reverse.

I just don't buy the statin or cholesterol myth. Pretty sure there is a thread or two on here about it.

And keeping my BP as low as possible is why I was asking about the garlic!

Bigfootisreal said:

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I am on the carnivore diet since Jan 2. Doing well- I do eat onions and pickles about once a week, otherwise have been 100% carnivore. From what I've read 6-9 months should see a reverse.

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Good deal. Stay with it and you will be able to reverse it. Good luck!