Barbell training is Big Medicine. And I doubt you're actually even pre-hypertensive.
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Lifting and hypercholesterolemia
I have a brother a year older than me. We looked like twins when we were growing up. Both of us developed hypercholesterolemia and hypertension as adults. He decided to control his medical issues by following his doctor's advice and taking pills. I decided to get stronger before I die.
Three years later he is still on the pills and the quality of his life has diminished. I ended up gaining ~50 lb and a bit more strength. I went to my doctor for a physical. He commented favourably on the increase in muscle mass.The blood analysis no longer shows any hypercholesterolemia and for the first time in forever my LDL and HDL numbers are good. Furthermore, I have become pre-hypertensive instead of hypertensive.
Size wise, I am 70-in in height and 210-lb.
Coach Rip, I have always been active. I have run marathons, half-marathons, triathlons and my numbers didn't look so good. My father, God rest his soul, had the same issues my brother and I have and those issues led him to a relatively early death.
Could lifting and getting stronger be the difference?
TMPHBITEU
Barbell training is Big Medicine. And I doubt you're actually even pre-hypertensive.
Member
I have not once had my blood pressure taken in a way that is consistent with the directions for how to take a resting measurement (in a clinical setting, at least).Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
TMPHBITEU
Neither have I. Not once, ever. And I personally know people who have left a doctor's office with a prescription for HCTZ and beta-blockers on the basis of one (1) incorrectly assessed blood pressure reading.
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Neither have I, but I was labeled prehypertensive by my pediatrician ~16 years ago (he tried to put me on meds, my mother refused), then as a hypertensive by my PCP last year I and I left with a script for lisinopril.
My wife is pregnant with our second child (1st was miscarried last year), I've gone to many of her appointments and I haven't seen a single nurse/medical assistant take a proper blood pressure. I have a BS in Ex Sci and I was taught to take proper blood pressures and that wasn't even supposed to be the major scope of what I was supposed to use my degree for. The incompetence amazes me, and I both from the RNs/MAs taking the readings and from the MDs accepting them as valid.
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I've never seen BP readings done in accordance with clinical standards either.
Another joy is that BP is an input to the standard risk assessor for using statins (ASCVD Risk Estimator) and the tool is rather sensitive to inputs. An incorrectly high BP reading (even one slightly off), can push the algorithm to recommending statins when it wouldn't recommend with a correct reading. Combine that with many doctors' enthusiasm for statins and the result is many unnecessary prescriptions.
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Personally, I think the ASCVD Risk Estimator is a poor indicator of when to start statins.
Member
Interesting, I have had several medical professionals tell me to lose weight (I am 5'9.5" 185lb) because I was pre-diabetic with fasting blood sugars of 110-120. Finally a few months ago one ordered an A1C test. Verdict: no pre-diabetes, I am fine.
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Do you think your view is a common view? (FWIW, my reading of research leads me to agree with you.)
✓ Member
It's certainly plausible that this occurs, but I'm not as confident that this is a rampant problem resulting in "many" unnecessary statin prescriptions. If you input a hypothetical patient who would otherwise seem to be low risk into the ASCVD calculator and hold all variables constant but manipulate the blood pressure, say, from 135 to 145 to 155, you'll notice that BP is a rather minor factor in the output calculation in that situation.
I agree.
Assuming 1) they were "true" fasting blood sugars, and 2) you had several data points in that range, I would rely more on the fasting blood sugar over an A1c measurement. If your routine FBG is in fact 120, you are not "fine".
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