BackgroundHigh blood pressure is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low
blood pressure control rates in Latin American populations emphasize the
need for gathering evidence on effective therapies. ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of dietary interventions on blood pressure in Latin
American populations. MethodsSystematic review. Electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane
Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, LILACS and VHL) were
searched and manual search for studies published up to April 2013 was
performed. Parallel studies about dietary interventions in Latin American
adult populations assessing arterial blood pressure (mm Hg) before and after
intervention were included. ResultsOf the 405 studies identified, 10 randomized controlled trials were included
and divided into 3 subgroups according to the proposed dietary intervention.
There was a non-significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the
subgroups of mineral replacement (-4.82; 95% CI: -11.36 to 1.73) and complex
pattern diets (-3.17; 95% CI: -7.62 to 1.28). Regarding diastolic blood
pressure, except for the hyperproteic diet subgroup, all subgroups showed a
significant reduction in blood pressure: -4.66 mmHg (95% CI: -9.21 to -0.12)
and -4.55 mmHg (95% CI: -7.04 to -2.06) for mineral replacement and complex
pattern diets, respectively. ConclusionAvailable evidence on the effects of dietary changes on blood pressure in
Latin American populations indicates a homogeneous effect of those
interventions, although not significant for systolic blood pressure. Samples
were small and the quality of the studies was generally low. Larger studies
are required to build robust evidence.