Mounjaro — it’s never too late to lose a quarter of your bodyweight — Part 17

Chapter 17

Mounjaro — It’s not just the fat….

Losing weight was my primary goal. It never occurred to me that there’d be other benefits. I’ve already described my rather intimidating encounter with a French doctor, who was bemused that I’d not addressed my issues with a combination of lettuce and press-ups. He insisted on blood tests before he’d even consider a prescription and sent me home with a blood pressure monitor having decided my BP was too high. At least he acknowledged that part of the cause might be consultation nerves.

Two weeks later, I had the readings. I was averaging 134/90 and my AI companion advised me that was “high and borderline hypertension”. The kind of news that would easily send your blood pressure rocketing.

It reminded me of a close friend who was told that he had a serious heart condition and needed surgery. The doctor observed,

“You’ve taken the news very well I have to say.”

He replied,

“I thought it wise, given that it seems, I’ve got a serious heart condition.”

Returning to the Cabinet Medical, a different doctor glanced at the readings and pronounced them “normal… for an old bloke”. I was given my prescription and warned to keep checking my BP. The risk now was it might drop too low.

Whilst I recently got a “protein and exercise” kicking from my Thai doctor, four or so months in, my BP had dropped to 119/67. ‘Very good’, I was told.

Again, however, my nerd instinct kicked in. I wanted to know what was actually happening to my body as my BP fell. This is a summary I put together, largely using AI. I don’t need to remind readers of its fallibility, but this is the kind of area where it usually does well. Subject to that caveat, I learned the following.

Normal adult blood pressure is 90/60 to 120/80.

Higher, raises the long term risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and dementia.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) consistently lowers blood pressure in clinical trials:

a) Weight loss → less pressure in the system

As body weight falls:

· Blood volume decreases slightly

· The heart does not need to pump as hard

· Resistance in blood vessels falls

b) Improved insulin sensitivity → calmer blood vessels

Tirzepatide improves insulin resistance, which reduces chronic inflammation in vessel walls. This leads to wider, more flexible arteries.

c) Reduced sodium and fluid retention

GLP‑1–based drugs promote mild natriuresis (loss of sodium in urine), which reduces circulating fluid volume and can lower blood pressure without dehydration in most people

d) Reduced sympathetic (“fight or flight”) drive

Weight loss and improved metabolism reduce chronic stress‑hormone signalling, leading to lower resting blood pressure and a calmer resting cardiovascular state.

The impact on your brain — lower risk of stroke and vascular dementia, less damage to small cerebral blood vessels over time.

And on your heart — reduced workload on the left ventricle, lower risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation and less thickening of the heart muscle.

Studies also indicate long term protection for kidneys and blood vessels which are more vulnerable with age.

I check my BP regularly with a device that cost about 60 pounds (pictured above), partly because I have had very occasional bouts of dizziness. It might be the Mounjaro, it might be the fact that I still like a glass of wine and my alcohol resistance has definitely dropped.

The list of advantages was, I thought, astounding. Almost… almost worth the jabs in its own right.

Next chapter — Mounjaro — Tai Chi — bless you

Previous chapter — Mounjaro — Protein and Exercise

Index