POTS syndrome diet is crucial for the improvement of POTS or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
What is POTS?
The POTS Syndrome Diet
Proper diet is important for someone suffering from POTS. Below is a simple guide to the POTS syndrome diet:
1. Increase oral fluid intake
One of the common and biggest problems of those with POTS is the inability to tolerate standing due to increasing heart rate and dropping blood pressure. Hence, one of the initial ways to manage this condition is increasing the oral fluid intake.
Research shows that an increase in fluid intake can benefit those with an orthostatic syndrome. Increasing fluid intake is shown to reduce one's chance of fainting from prolonged standing.
Patients with POTS are recommended to have a fluid intake of at least 2 liters per day. Fluid intake doesn't have to be water though to be effective. It can be in the form of soups or fresh fruit juices.
2. Increase salt intake
Patients with the syndrome are usually recommended for an increase in salt intake, typically between 3 to 10 g per day (5 to 10 g for very symptomatic patients). This can be done through dietary adjustments. If salt can't be increased adequately through diet alone, a patient may be advised to take salt tablets which can be added to meals.
Increasing salt intake should only be done if it is recommended by the doctor. Too much salt in the diet can be harmful to those with existing conditions like high blood pressure, kidney stones, and heart failure.
3. Cut back on carbohydrate intake
Patients with POTS can alleviate their symptoms by cutting back on carbohydrate intake. In one study, it shows that higher carbohydrate intake greatly reduces one's blood pressure, worsening the condition of those with orthostatic symptoms.
Like the POTS treatment plan, the POTS syndrome diet plan can also vary from one person to another, depending on the severity of one's condition.
If you have POTS and wondering what's the most suitable diet for you, it's best to see your doctor for an appropriate diet plan.
Image: Greg Riegler