Healthy diets ‘can be as effective as medication in treating high blood pressure’

A new study has indicated that healthy eating can be as effective as prescribed medication in helping to alleviate the symptoms of high blood pressure.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine research analysed data from 412 adults with prehypertension, or stage 1 high blood pressure, to examine the effect of dietary changes on their heart health.

It was found that a combination of low salt consumption yielded benefits when combined with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts.

Combining the two resulted in a greater blood pressure reduction for those with high baseline systolic blood pressure readings than many prescribed antihypertensive agents, such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers.

Dr Stephen Juraschek, an adjunct assistant professor at Johns Hopkins and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said: "Our results add to the evidence that dietary interventions are as effective as – or more effective than – antihypertensive drugs in those at highest risk for high blood pressure, and should be a routine first-line treatment option for such individuals."

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