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Hypocaloric diet and antihypertensive drug treatment. A randomized controlled clinical trial

B Darné1, M Nivarong, A Tugayé

  • 1INSERM U258, Epidemiologie cardio-vasculaire, Hôpital Broussais, Paris, France.

Blood Pressure
|June 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

A hypocaloric diet significantly reduces the amount of medication needed to control high blood pressure in overweight patients. This dietary intervention nearly halves the drug score required, improving hypertension management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Overweight and hypertension are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
  • Effective blood pressure (BP) management in overweight hypertensive patients often requires pharmacotherapy.
  • Dietary interventions, such as hypocaloric diets, may offer a complementary or alternative approach to managing hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the medication score required to control blood pressure in overweight hypertensive patients receiving a hypocaloric diet versus those receiving standard drug treatment.
  • To evaluate the impact of a hypocaloric diet on weight loss and blood pressure reduction in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 54 overweight hypertensive patients.
  • Participants were allocated to either a drug treatment (DT) group or a hypocaloric diet (HD) group.
  • The HD group received dietary intervention, with antihypertensive drugs added if diastolic blood pressure (DBP) remained ≥90 mmHg. The DT group received standard drug treatment.
  • Medication was quantified using a treatment score, and patients were followed for 10 months.

Main Results:

  • The hypocaloric diet group achieved a mean weight loss of 5.9 kg compared to 2.3 kg in the drug treatment group (p=0.02).
  • Mean decrease in DBP was 18 mmHg in the HD group and 15 mmHg in the DT group (p=0.36).
  • The mean drug treatment score was significantly lower in the HD group (0.86) compared to the DT group (1.52) (p=0.01), indicating nearly 50% less medication was needed.

Conclusions:

  • Implementing an effective hypocaloric diet alongside antihypertensive therapy can significantly reduce the required dosage of medication in overweight hypertensive patients.
  • Dietary interventions play a crucial role in managing hypertension and can lead to reduced pharmacological burden.
Abstract

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