What are the best foods to control blood pressure?

A comprehensive review, employing the PRISMA flowchart, scrutinized 17,099 records, finalizing 175 publications. These encompassed a broad spectrum of dietary factors, from meat and vegetables to beverages and macronutrients. The main contributions hailed from Europe, Asia, and North America.

The review explored dietary regimes and their implications on blood pressure. High-quality RCT data suggested diets like DASH and ketogenic contributed positively to blood pressure control. While observational studies proffered weaker evidence for diets such as vegan and Mediterranean. Within the meat, eggs, and fish category, RCTs offered moderate evidence about fish and egg consumption, contrasting with observational studies that presented a lower quality testament for egg and meat intake.

Fruits and vegetables emerged with a moderate quality endorsement, signifying potential blood pressure reduction from foods like blueberries and beetroot. Starch-rich foods garnered mostly low-quality evidence, whereas legumes presented a mixed bag, with pulses being an exception with their moderate evidence. Nuts and seeds, with a special mention of flaxseed, stood out with high-quality proof for their blood pressure-lowering capacities. Cocoa, too, had moderate supportive evidence.

In the herb domain, cinnamon reduced while licorice escalated diastolic blood pressure.

Teas received moderate validation for reducing blood pressure, with coffee's influence remaining ambiguous. Discussions around macronutrients highlighted proteins like L-carnitine and soy protein with favorable evidence.
In contrast, the majority of fats and oils, barring a few like Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), exhibited inconsistent results.
Minerals also showcased variability; potassium was strongly advocated for blood pressure diminution, whereas calcium and zinc remained inconclusive.

Fuente: Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban, Rachel Gibson, Doris SM. Chan, Linda Van Horn, Queenie Chan,The role of diet in the prevention of hypertension and management of blood pressure: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of interventional and observational studies, Advances in Nutrition, 2023, , ISSN 2161-8313, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.09.011