Research
Hormonal
Intermittent fasting lowers blood pressure through increased parasympathetic activity mediated by Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), leading to reduced heart rate and blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, intermittent fasting might help lower it by calming your nervous system (increasing parasympathetic tone). However, this effect is not guaranteed for everyone, and you should monitor your BP. Do not stop prescribed blood pressure medication without consulting your doctor.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The mechanism of the pressure drop may be associated with an increase in parasympathetic activity due to the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)... BDNF increases the synthesis and release of acetylcholine by cholinergic neurons... The cardiac function is controlled by the release of acetylcholine through the vagus nerve to the sinoatrial node, where it reduces the heart rate.
Why this rating
Supported by animal studies and some human trials, but human results are mixed (some studies showed no significant BP change).
Source
Intermittent Fasting in Cardiovascular Disorders—An Overview
Bartosz Malinowski et al. · Nutrients · 2019
DOI 10.3390/nu11030673
narrative_reviewCited 300×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Intermittent fasting protocols (specifically Alternate Day Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding) reduce cardiovascular risk factors by lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and by modulating inflammatory biomarkers such as CRP and leptin.Moderate
- Intermittent fasting improves cardiovascular health by increasing adiponectin levels and reducing pro-inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha) and leptin, which contributes to anti-atherosclerotic effects.Moderate
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