Two-component nutritional strategy on par with standard approach for BP control

A two-component nutritional strategy is as effective as the established dietary intervention for blood pressure (BP) control in individuals with hypertension, results of the NUPRESS study have shown.

Four hundred ten participants were included in an intention-to-treat analysis. Both the two-component nutritional strategy (intervention group), including a goal-directed nutritional counselling and mindfulness techniques, and an individualized dietary prescription according to nutritional guidelines (control group) reduced BP in participants.

However, after adjusting for baseline values, no significant between-group difference was noted on systolic BP (intervention-control difference, ‒0.03, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒3.01 to 2.94; p=0.98) or BP control (odds ratio, 1.27, 95 percent CI, 0.82‒1.97; p=0.28). There were also no differences seen in other outcomes between the intervention and control groups.

NUPRESS, an open-label, parallel-group, superiority randomized controlled clinical trial, enrolled participants at least 21 years of age who had hypertension and poorly controlled BP. They were randomized 1:1 to either an individualized dietary prescription according to nutritional guidelines (n=205) or a two-component nutrition strategy (n=205).

Systolic BP after 24 weeks of follow-up and BP control, defined as either having systolic BP >140 mm Hg at baseline and achieving ≤140 mm Hg after follow-up or having systolic BP ≤140 mm Hg at baseline and reducing the frequency of antihypertensive drugs in use after follow-up, were the primary outcomes.