Role of sodium-restricted dietary approaches to control blood pressure in Pakistani hypertensive population

Objective: To assess the change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in post-interventional phase through\dietary approaches to stop hypertension/salt-restricted diet. Methods: This randomised controlled clinical study was conducted from February 2014 to March 2015 at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi, and Ali Medical Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan, and involved hypertensive patients and matching controls. The control group followed routine diet while the intervention group was given a diet plan containing 1,500mg of sodium providing 2,000 calories. Both groups were advised not to consume sodium-rich foods. Paired sample t-test was applied to determine the change in blood pressure among the groups at two different occasions. Results: Of the 1,492 participants, 710(47.6%) were controls and 782(52.4%) were in the interventional group. Overall, 417(27.9%) participants got their blood pressure checked less than twice in six months, while 409(27.4%) had it done on a regular basis. Moreover, 941(63.1%)) subjects had a family history of high blood pressure and 149(10.0%) participants did not exercise at all. The overall mean age was 53.42 +/- 9.302 years. Mean systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure after five weeks was 126.33 +/- 3.35 and 84.40 +/- 3.04mmHg in the intervention group, and 128.41 +/- 3.52 and 84.04 +/- 2.953mmHg in the control group. Changes in blood pressure between the two groups were minimal but statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: A diet which is restricted in salt, rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods and reduced saturated and total fat can substantially lower blood pressure. Such a diet offers an additional nutritional approach to the prevention and treatment of hypertension.