Blackmores Institute

<ol><li>eligible randomised controlled trials were included in the review with a total of 856 subjects. Researchers found that vegetarian diet consumption significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference (WMD), −2.66 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) = −3.76, −1.55, p &lt; 0.001) and diastolic BP WMD, −1.69 mmHg (95% CI = −2.97, −0.41, p &lt; 0.001) as compared to an omnivorous diet.</li></ol>“In subgroup analysis, a vegan diet demonstrated a greater reduction in systolic BP (WMD, −3.12 mm Hg; 95% CI = −4.54, −1.70, p &lt; 0.001) as compared with a lacto‐ovo‐vegetarian diet (WMD, −1.75 mm Hg, 95% CI −5.38, 1.88, p = 0.05). The vegan diet has showed a similar trend in terms of diastolic blood pressure reduction (WMD, −1.92 mm Hg (95% CI = −3.18, −0.66, p &lt; 0.001) but those with a lacto‐ovo‐vegetarian diet showed no changes in diastolic BP reduction (WMD, 0.00, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.00), p =0.432),” the authors reported.According to the review vegetarian diets generally have a higher diet quality than nonvegetarian diets because vegetarian diets have a higher portion of glutamic acid and plant‐based protein, which has blood‐pressure‐lowering effect.“The higher fibre, antioxidant and potassium content, and lower saturated fat and sodium content in vegetarian diets can contribute to a lower body mass index and blood pressure readings. A vegetarian diet reduces high blood pressure via several mechanisms, such as by improving blood viscosity, vasodilation and insulin sensitivity; by altering the baroreceptors, renin‐angiotensin and sympathetic nervous system; by its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties and by changing the colony and strain of gut microflora. Thus, many studies have shown that dietary patterns with a lower meat intake like the vegetarian diet is associated with a lower rate of non‐communicable disease particularly hypertension and contributed to a better health outcome and longer life expectancy,” the authors said.Although there have some conflicting results in previous studies examining the benefits of a vegetarian diet compared to a meat-based diet, the authors claim that their findings, in particular their sub-analysis of type of vegetarian diet suggests that dietary patterns based solely on plant sources are more effective in reducing blood pressure than other types of vegetarian diet which still include animal products or by-products, such as eggs and dairy products, for example, in the lacto‐ovo‐vegetarian diet. “Vegetarian diets have the potential to be recommended to those with underlying disease as well as the general population, in the hope that, through this nonpharmacological diet method, uncontrolled hypertension could be reduced, which would result in a meaningful decrease in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases as well as other morbidities and mortality and lessen the excessive demand on healthcare,” the authors concluded.Source:
 Nutrients. 2020. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061604" style="">10.3390/nu12061604</a>

The evidence for adopting a largely plant-based diet continues to grow with the publication of a new systematic review showing that vegetarian diets significantly lower blood pressure compared to omnivorous diets.

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