Abstract:
Objective To systematically evaluate the impact of heart-healthy dietary patterns in reducing blood pressure. Methods PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, China Knowledge Network, China Biomedical Literature Service, Wanfang Database, and Weipu were searched to collect randomized controlled trials(RCTs) that related to the antihypertensive effects of Mediterranean diet, dietary approaches to stop hypertension(DASH) and Chinese heart-healthy(CHH) diet from inception to February 2023. A systematic evaluation and meta-analysis was conducted after evaluating the selected literature. Results A total of 27 studies were included, comprising 7 409 participants, including 3 677 in the intervention group and 3 732 in the control group. Meta-analysis of 27 studies showed that heart-healthy dietary patterns can reduce both systolic blood pressure weighted mean difference(WMD)=-4.03 mmHg, 95%CI-4.82 to-3.24 mmHg, P<0.001 and diastolic blood pressure(WMD=-2.26 mmHg, 95%CI-2.96 to-1.55 mmHg, P<0.001). A meta-analysis of 15 studies after exclusion of studies with high risk of bias showed that heart-healthy dietary patterns can effectively reduce systolic blood pressure(WMD=-3.94 mmHg, 95%CI-5.10 to-2.77 mmHg, P<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure(WMD=-2.32 mmHg, 95%CI-3.01 to-1.63 mmHg, P<0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that heart-healthy dietary patterns were effective in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in different subgroups based on the population’s gender, body mass index, and baseline blood pressure status, the dietary patterns of the intervention group, the presence of dietary interventions in the control group, and the overall duration of the intervention. Heart-healthy diet was effective in reducing systolic blood pressure in people under 18 years old and those between 40-<65 years old, while in people aged 18-<65 years, it was effective in reducing diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion Heart-healthy dietary patterns have a significant positive impact on blood pressure management.