Hypertension — Jennings A, et al. | February 15, 2019

In this year-long, European, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, researchers evaluated the impact of a Mediterranean-style diet (specifically designed according to dietary recommendations for individuals aged ≥ 65 years) on blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness among older adults. They measured blood pressure in 1,294 healthy participants (aged 65-79 years) who were recruited from 5 European centers, and assessed arterial stiffness in a subset of 225 participants. The intervention involved the provision of individually tailored standardized dietary advice and commercially available foods to increase adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Habitual diet was continued in the control group, and current national dietary guidance was provided. A total of 1,142 participants completed the trial (88.2%). Following the year-long intervention, the investigators observed a significant reduction in systolic BP, which was evident in men but not women. Overall, this dietary intervention resulted in clinically relevant attenuations in blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

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