Eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce salt intake, avoid processed meat, Mediterranean, vegan, low-carb, low-fat, keto… Whether we’re talking to a friend, seeing the latest trends on social media, or reading our favourite health and wellness magazine, we’re constantly exposed to nutrition-related information. With so much out there, it can sometimes be hard to know what dietary advice to trust and follow. Enter dietitians!
Dietitians play a key role in understanding the science behind nutrition and communicating it to people in ways that are easy to “digest” and action on. From research to working directly with patients within their community, dietitians aim to enhance health through food (1).
Consuming an unhealthy diet just so happens to be a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, also known as hypertension (2-4). Over one billion adults across the globe live with high blood pressure, which, if not adequately managed, can cause complications like chest pain, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and kidney failure (2-4). Luckily, dietitians seem to be well positioned to help people enhance their diets and therefore aspects of their health like blood pressure. But does research evidence support this? For answers, let’s turn to a systematic review that investigated the effects of dietitian-delivered medical nutrition therapy versus standard care or no intervention in adults with slightly elevated blood pressure or high blood pressure (3).
What the research tells us
The good news is that positive results are not in short supply!
First and foremost, when it comes to the star of the show, it appears that adults receiving medical nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian can experience reductions in both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The “losses” didn’t end there. Decreases in body weight, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and stroke, and the need to use medications that treat blood pressure can also be seen. Unfortunately, no effect on heart attacks has been identified (3). All in all, the findings here suggest that registered dietitians, like other health professionals, have a valuable role to play in the management of high blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.
Interested in connected with a dietitian? In Canada, people can access both free and paid dietitian services. Paid services occurring in private practice settings are sometimes covered by private health insurance plans, so those interested in this strategy should review their coverage. On the other hand, free dietitian services are offered by many provinces (through provincial hotlines and websites/online resources), local public health units, community health centres, and Family Health Teams.
