Benefits of lifestyle modifications for treatment of hypertension

January 01, 0001

Benefits of lifestyle modifications for treatment of hypertension

These US investigators compared the DASH diet alone or combined with a weight management program with usual diet controls among participants with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension (systolic BP, 130-159 mm Hg or diastolic BP, 85-99 mm Hg). They randomized 144 patients from a tertiary care medical center and made assessments at baseline and 4 months. Participants were overweight or obese, unmedicated outpatients.

They found: "Clinic-measured BP was reduced by 16.1 over 9.9 mm Hg (DASH plus weight management), 11.2 over 7.5 mm (DASH alone), and 3.4 over 3.8 mm (usual diet controls). A similar pattern was observed for ambulatory BP. Greater improvement was noted for DASH plus weight management compared with DASH alone for pulse wave velocity, baroreflex sensitivity, and left ventricular mass (all statistically significant)."

The authors concluded: "For overweight or obese persons with above- normal BP, the addition of exercise and weight loss to the DASH diet resulted in even larger BP reductions, greater improvements in vascular and autonomic function, and reduced left ventricular mass."

Modifications in diet and exercise can reduce blood pressure and may lead to long-term benefits in patient outcomes that this study was unable to document.

For the full abstract, click here.

Arch Intern Med 170(2):126-135, 25 January 2010 © 2010 to the American Medical Association
Effects of the DASH Diet Alone and in Combination With Exercise and Weight Loss on Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Men and Women With High Blood Pressure-The ENCORE Study. James A. Blumenthal, Michael A. Babyak, Alan Hinderliter, et al. Correspondence to: Dr. Blumenthal: [email protected]

Category: K. Circulatory. Keywords: hypertension, prehypertension, DASH diet, weight loss, exercise, blood pressure, randomized controlled trial, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 9 February 2010

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

COVID-19 Resources

WONCA webinars, journal links and more

WONCA position statements

WONCA statements on a variety of issues

PEARLS

577 Individual behavioural counselling helps people to quit smoking 575 Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements may be beneficial in age-related macular degeneration 574 Oral antifungals effective for toenail onychomycosis 570 Decision aids beneficial for people facing health treatment or screening decisions 569 Computer-generated reminders on paper benefit quality of care