Vegetarian Diets Reduce High Blood Pressure

Vegetarian diets protect against hypertension, according to a study published in the Journal of Hypertension. Researchers compared hypertension rates for 4,109 participants who followed vegetarian or nonvegetarian diets. Those who followed a vegetarian diet had a 34 percent lower risk for hypertension when compared to nonvegetarians. These findings remained significant after adjusting for obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation. Researchers call on clinicians to prescribe vegetarian diets to prevent hypertension and prehypertension. A previously published meta-analysis found that consuming vegetarian diets is associated with lower blood pressure.