Paul was 42 years old when he signed up for Quantify, after getting diagnosed with hypertension a year prior during a routine checkup.
The diagnosis came as a surprise, given that he had exercised regularly since his teens, and had always thought of himself as healthy.
His doctor had speculated that the condition was genetic—Paul’s dad had also been diagnosed with hypertension—but Paul was understandably reluctant to accept the hypothesis, without any test results to back it up.
What’s more, his medication was only slightly effective at lowering his blood pressure, suggesting there was something else going on.
Frustrated by his doctor’s lack of interest in exploring other possible causes, Paul decided to pursue a more data-driven approach.
In his first appointment at Quantify, Paul’s health coach recommended a metabolic panel, cardiovascular panel, and metals test, to evaluate his metabolic health, blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, cardiovascular health, inflammation, exposure to toxic metals, and mineral levels.
Test results
His first time conducting a comprehensive evaluation of his health, Paul’s metabolic panel showed elevated glucose and hemoglobin A1c, indicating blood sugar dysregulation, or the condition of having abnormally fluctuating blood sugar, which was likely caused by the high-carbohydrate diet that he had followed for years, and which commonly contributes to hypertension, weight gain, sleep apnea, and other chronic symptoms.
Providing an additional clue as to what was going on, Paul’s cardiovascular panel showed elevated high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), indicating systemic inflammation, which was also likely caused by his diet.
Completing the puzzle, while his metals test showed no significant exposure to aluminum, lead, mercury, and other toxic metals that can contribute to hypertension, it did show that he was severely deficient in magnesium, a critically important mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.
An alarming 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium, primarily due to our modern agricultural practices that have depleted magnesium and other micronutrients from our soil and thus our food, so it wasn’t surprising that Paul was deficient, but it certainly was revealing.
Recovery
Feeling validated that a mineral deficiency, rather than an assumed genetic predisposition, was causing his hypertension, Paul started following his health coach’s recommendations closely.
He eliminated processed foods, sugar, grains, and dairy from his diet, increased consumption of foods high in magnesium, such as arugula, pumpkin seeds, and cacao, started drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day, and took certain supplements, such as magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2.
Within a few months, his blood pressure gradually lowered to a normal level, his doctor allowed him to taper and ultimately stop taking his medication (citing that it was no longer warranted), and a follow-up metals test showed a normal magnesium level, further validating the work he had done to address the mineral deficiency that had unknowingly compromised his health.