Število ljudi z arterijsko hipertenzijo v svetu je bilo leta 2019 ocenjeno na več kot 1 milijardo in se je od 1990 podvojilo. Pogostnost arterijske hipertenzije pri odraslih, starih 30–79 let, je bila leta 2019 pri ženskah 32 %, pri moških pa 34 % [1], kar je skladno s slovenskimi populacijskimi podatki (33 %, ob referenčni vrednosti krvnega tlaka > 140/90 mmHg) [2]. Resnost naraščajočega trenda arterijske hipertenzije je še dodatno zaskrbljujoča, saj je le-ta povezana z boleznimi srca in žilja, odpovedjo ledvic, demenco, erektilno disfunkcijo, idr. [3–7].

Posameznik lahko nadzira krvni tlak s/z:

• prehrano, ki naj bo čim bolj rastlinska in z manj soli ter več polnozrnatih žit (npr. ovseni kosmiči, ajdova in prosena kaša, polnozrnate testenine), stročnic (npr. fižol, leča, čičerika, grah, soja), sadja (npr. jagodičevje, drugo avtohtono lokalno pridelano sadje) in zelenjave (npr. brokoli, rdeča pesa, špinača), semen (npr. lanena semena) in čebulnic (npr. česen) [8–12]^[1],
• ustreznim vnosom vode in zeliščnih čajev (npr. hibiskus in zeleni čaj) [13–16],
• redno telesno aktivnostjo (npr. redna živahna hoja po razgibanem terenu) in namensko vadbo (npr. vadba za moč) [17,18],
• in drugimi dejavniki zdravega načina življenja (npr. ustrezna telesna masa/sestava, nekajenje, nadzor nad vnosom alkohola, ustrezna higiena spanja (npr. primerljiv ritem spanja, 7-8 ur na noč), sprostitvene tehnike (npr. meditacija, joga, čas preživet v naravi)) [19–22].

Reference:

1. Nguyen, T.N.; Chow, C.K. Global and national high blood pressure burden and control. Lancet 2021, 398, 932–933.
2. Fras, Z.; Maučec Zakotnik, J.; Govc Eržen, J.; Luznar, N. Nacionalni program primarne preventive srčno-žilnih bolezni - zgodba o uspehu. In Proceedings of the Skupaj varujemo in krepimo zdravje : kaj smo dosegli v prvih osmih letih?; zbornik ob letnem srečanju izvajalcev Nacionalnega programa primarne preventive srčno-žilnih bolezni; 2009; pp. 13–26.
3. Fuchs, F.D.; Whelton, P.K. High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease. Hypertens. (Dallas, Tex. 1979) 2020, 75, 285–292.
4. Wang, X.Y.; Huang, W.; Zhang, Y. Relation between hypertension and erectile dysfunction: a meta-analysisof cross-section studies. Int. J. Impot. Res. 2018, 30, 141–146.
5. Weldegiorgis, M.; Woodward, M. The impact of hypertension on chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease is greater in men than women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Nephrol. 2020, 21.
6. Ou, Y.N.; Tan, C.C.; Shen, X.N.; Xu, W.; Hou, X.H.; Dong, Q.; Tan, L.; Yu, J.T. Blood Pressure and Risks of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 209 Prospective Studies. Hypertens. (Dallas, Tex. 1979) 2020, 76, 217–225.
7. Hughes, D.; Judge, C.; Murphy, R.; Loughlin, E.; Costello, M.; Whiteley, W.; Bosch, J.; O’Donnell, M.J.; Canavan, M. Association of Blood Pressure Lowering With Incident Dementia or Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA 2020, 323, 1934–1944.
8. Sukhato, K.; Akksilp, K.; Dellow, A.; Vathesatogkit, P.; Anothaisintawee, T. Efficacy of different dietary patterns on lowering of blood pressure level: an umbrella review. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2020, 112, 1584–1598.
9. Tomé-Carneiro, J.; Visioli, F. Plant-Based Diets Reduce Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence. Curr. Hypertens. Rep. 1906, 1, 3.
10. Li, L.; Li, H.; Gao, Y.; Vafaei, S.; Zhang, X.; Yang, M. Effect of flaxseed supplementation on blood pressure: a systematic review, and dose–response meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Food Funct. 2023, 14, 675–690.
11. Ried, K. Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, improves arterial stiffness and gut microbiota: A review and meta-analysis. Exp. Ther. Med. 2020, 19.
12. Madsen, H.; Sen, · Abhijit; Dagfinn Aune, · Fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur. J. Nutr. 2023 2023, 1–15.
13. Herrera-Arellano, A.; Flores-Romero, S.; Chávez-Soto, M.A.; Tortoriello, J. Effectiveness and tolerability of a standardized extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa in patients with mild to moderate hypertension: A controlled and randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine 2004, 11, 375–382.
14. Wang, Z.M.; Chen, B.; Zhou, B.; Zhao, D.; Wang, L.S. Green tea consumption and the risk of stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Nutrition 2023, 107, 111936.
15. Keller, A.; Wallace, T.C. Tea intake and cardiovascular disease: an umbrella review. Ann. Med. 2021, 53, 929.
16. Serban, C.; Sahebkar, A.; Ursoniu, S.; Andrica, F.; Banach, M. Effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) on arterial hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J. Hypertens. 2015, 33, 1119–1127.
17. Pescatello, L.S.; Buchner, D.M.; Jakicic, J.M.; Powell, K.E.; Kraus, W.E.; Bloodgood, B.; Campbell, W.W.; Dietz, S.; Dipietro, L.; George, S.M.; et al. Physical Activity to Prevent and Treat Hypertension: A Systematic Review. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2019, 51, 1314–1323.
18. Sardeli, A.V.; Griffth, G.J.; dos Santos, M.V.M.A.; Ito, M.S.R.; Chacon-Mikahil, M.P.T. The effects of exercise training on hypertensive older adults: an umbrella meta-analysis. Hypertens. Res. 2021, 44, 1434–1443.
19. Siu, P.M.; Yu, A.P.; Benzie, I.F.; Woo, J. Effects of 1-year yoga on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. Diabetol. Metab. Syndr. 2015, 7.
20. Steinhubl, S.R.; Wineinger, N.E.; Patel, S.; Boeldt, D.L.; Mackellar, G.; Porter, V.; Redmond, J.T.; Muse, E.D.; Nicholson, L.; Chopra, D.; et al. Cardiovascular and nervous system changes during meditation. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2015, 9.
21. Mills, K.T.; Stefanescu, A.; He, J. The global epidemiology of hypertension. Nat. Rev. Nephrol. 2020, 16, 223.
22. Gao, C.; Guo, J.; Gong, T.T.; Lv, J. Le; Li, X.Y.; Liu, F.H.; Zhang, M.; Shan, Y.T.; Zhao, Y.H.; Wu, Q.J. Sleep Duration/Quality With Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Prospective Studies. Front. Med. 2022, 8, 813943.

[1] Prehranski vzorec, ki ima ugodne učinke za nadzor nad krvnim tlakom, vsebuje večji vnos vlaknin, rastlinskih virov beljakovin, vitamina C, folatov, kalija, magnezija in manjši vnos nasičenih in skupnih maščob ter natrija.