If you have high blood pressure (hypertension), a low carb diet could be a better way to control it than drugs. In one study of 146 people who were hypertensive and overweight, nearly half were able to stop or decrease their blood pressure medication after going on a low-carbohydrate diet. Systolic blood pressure dropped dramatically, researchers discovered. By comparison, only 21 per cent of those who were taking the weight-loss drug orlistat reported a similar drop in blood pressure. (Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010; 170: 136-45).
