The Effect of the Mediterranean Diet Components on Blood Pressure, Mean Arterial Pressure, and Pulse Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

According to the 2018 Basic Health Research Data (RISKESDAS), the prevalence of hypertension in West Java was 39.6%, while in Cimahi City it was 41.83%. The composition of the Mediterranean diet contains a high proportion of MUFA and PUFA which act as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardioprotective with a potential to lower blood pressure. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of Mediterranean diet components on blood pressure in patients with hypertension. The study uses observational analytic methods as the design and also employs a prospective cohort sample of 36 patients with hypertension for three months, using a systematic random sampling technique. The research subjects were checked for blood pressure in the first month (T1) and the last month of the study (T2). The relative Mediterranean Diet (rMED) was used as a source of data on component intakes by administering the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 12 times within three months. The differences in Mediterranean diet composition and blood pressure in all Mediterranean diet adherence groups were examined using the ANOVA test and Tuckey’s post-hoc test, as well as to test comparisons of proportions between rMED adherence groups. The impact of each component of the Mediterranean Diet on blood pressure was evaluated using a linear regression analysis test. The results showed that the average age of hypertensive patients who underwent the Mediterranean diet was 57.94 years and 69.44% were female. The components of fruit and nuts, vegetables, and fish have a significant effect on systolic blood pressure. Fish components have a significant effect on diastolic blood pressure. The components of vegetables and fish have a significant effect on the mean arterial pressure (MAP). Fruit and nut components have a significant effect on pulse pressure. The limitations of this study are the short research time, the absence of salt consumption restrictions on the Mediterranean diet, and the presence of smoking and physical activity as confounding activities. Keywords: blood pressure, composition, Mediterranean diet, mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure