Non drug therapy in

Prevention and Control of

Hypertension

 Salt intake
Sodium excretion was significantly
related to BP and at least partially,
this relation ship is independent of
body mass index and ethanol intake

 Restrict sodium intake to approximately 6gms

of sodium chloride salt or 2.4 gms of sodium
per day
Reduce salt for cooking by 50%
Substitute natural food for processuchased
food
No sprinkling of salt on dining table
Avoid salty snacks
Use salt substitute containing potassium
Avoid medications such as antacids

Other dietary factors

Diet low in saturated fat
and cholesterol and
higher in fruits and
vegetables may be more
beneficial for BP and CV
risk

potassium
Increase sodium excretion
Decrease renin-angiotension
secretion
Decrease sympathetic nervous
system activity
Direct dilation of renal arteries and
arterioles
JNC-VI recommend 90mmol of dietary
K daily

caffeine
Not associated with increase blood
pressure
Transient effect increas BP 5-15 MM
HG for few hours (2-3 cups of coffee)

calcium
Not proven to reduce BP

MAGNESIUM
There is some evidence of an
association between low dietary
magnesium and high blood pressure
Not enough evidence of beneficial
effect of magnesium
supplementation

Fish oil
There increase evidence that fish oil
benefits BP
Fish oil increases the HDL2
cholesterol
Diet supplementation with relatively
high doses (more than 3 gm/day)
leads to BP reduction in hypertensive
patient

Alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption is an
important risk factor for hypertension.
The INTERSALT showed a strong and
independent relation with alcohol and rising
blood pressure
1.
2.
3.

Activation of renin-angiotensin
Rise of plasma cholesterol
stimulation of sympathetic system

obesity
Clinical studies have shown direct
benefit of weight reduction on
hypertention
Weight reduction reduces blood
pressure

Cigarette smoking
Smoking increases blood pressure
independently
Chain smokers can have sustained
rise in blood pressure as shown by
ambulatory blood pressure
monitoring which is presumably
caused regular nicotine infusion

Stress reduction and

biofeedback
The role of stress in causing
hypertension is still not very clear
Available result provide insufficient
evidence to recommend stress
management as a useful strategy for
the prevention of hypertension

 Cut back on salt. It's no surprise that

sodium can raise your blood
pressure. If everyone in America cut
their salt intake to no more than
1,500 mg a day, 16 million cases of
high blood pressure would be
prevented every year, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. (Current average daily
intake for Americans exceeds

 De-stress. A recent review of 107 studies on

stress reduction techniques and blood
pressure found that Transcendental
Meditation, biofeedback, stress management
training, and progressive muscle relaxation
were all effective in lowering blood pressure.
Also, a study presented at the American
Society of Hypertension's annual meeting in
May 2008 found that listening to relaxing
music for 30 minutes a day reduces blood
pressure.