Since I have a tendency to hypertension, I've been experimenting
with various natural approaches including Cod Liver Oil, magnesium
malate, and increased B Vitamins, to name a few. But it wasn't
until recently that a friend eMailed me some pretty exciting news
that he had achieved a significant reduction in his blood pressure by
taking apple cider vinegar (ACV) (2 tablespoons full in say 6-8 oz water
before meals or in place of snacks).

So, I did some research and found that diabetics that took ACV not only
significantly improved blood pressure and cholesterol with ACV, they
showed significant improvement in blood glucose control. So I begin to
wonder that perhaps hypertension (even with "normal" fasting blood
glucose - mine is 96 last test) was an early indicator of Type II
diabetes in that excess glucose is an irritant to the linings of the
blood vessels (especially the small capillaries that get damaged first
and this leads to diabetic neuropathy) and such irritation causes
stricture and thus high blood pressure.

That said, I've been experimenting with ACV and, just like throwing a
switch, blood pressure has dropped 15-20 points both systolic and
diastolic. WOW!

Now, being the curious lab rat that I am, I intend to run some scouting tests on
the effects of ACV on blood glucose. First, get a 2-hour response curve starting
with fasting blood glucose (no ACV) followed by a spike of say 6 grams of carbs
on an empty stomach and measure blood glucose say every 10-15 minutes for 2
hours. Then, repeat the response test but take the ACV after the fasting glucose
is read but before the spike in carbs is introduced (there is no carbohydrate in
the ACV). I want to see if the ACV will suppress the glucose spike and, if so,
how much.

I'm interested in any suggestions the forum might have to improve this
simple scouting test before I rush out and buy extra test strips for
my AccuCheck. This could be a very significant test.


[First of all, I suggest that six grams of carbs is equal to zero...
It is not enough to do very much, and you won't notice anything.
I suggest you drink A LARGE 400 gram GLASS OF ORANGE JUICE (which
is about 12.5% sugar... so it is 50 grams of carbs) Weigh it on
an accurate scale.

Read what I did, and you should do similar:

http://www.rajeun.net/35minutes.html

- Ellis]



If anyone else wants to experiment with ACV, the brand I recommend is
Bragg's. It is all-organic and is NOT pasteurized so the enzymes remain viable.
Because of the rich matrix of bio-chemicals in this very potent ACV, the bottle
should be vigorously shaken before using and it should be stored in a cool, dark
place out of direct sunlight.

Also, if anyone else is hypertensive, you might consider investing in a blood
glucose meter and start checking your response to various
foods. Just because your fasting blood sugar is normal doesn't mean
that you are not pre-diabetic else why the hypertension? I think
they go hand-in-hand, hypertension many times being an early warning
of increasingly poor blood glucose control - just my opinion.

Anyway, thanks for reading - comments/suggestions most appreciated.

mrtips8477

[I have been saying the same thing for years, whether or not you
are hypertensive, everybody should have a glucose meter, and
everybody should be testing before and after meals, and writing
down the results until you learn WHAT CAUSED THE INCREASE in
blood glucose? I have taken perhaps 7000 blood glucose tests
in the past 6 years, and now I think I can tell how any food I
might eat will affect my blood glucose.

Read my interpretation of blood glucose, which is as strict as
you will find anywhere, and also learn to interpret your HbA1c,
which is AVERAGE blood glucose over the past 2 months or so...

Thanks for writing... Good luck with the tests, let us know
what you find.

http://www.rajeun.net/glucose.html

http://www.rajeun.net/HbA1c_glucose.html

- Ellis]