EFFICACY OF A PERSONALIZED FOOD AVOIDANCE DIETARY APPROACH FORTHE CONTROL OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Essential Hypertension (EH) is the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Ongoing clinical trials of a
Personalized Food Avoidance Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (PFADASH) implicate some dietary
constituents in the phenotypic expression of EH. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adjunctive efficacy of a
PFADASH on the control of EH. This was part of an open controlled clinical trial of a PFADASH approved by the
University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ethics Committee. Study was carried out at Medical Outpatient
Clinics UNTH and Chiolive International Medical Research Organization, Tran-Ekulu Enugu from 2015 to 2019.
Seven Study Participants (SPs) met the inclusion/exclusion criteria of being on at least two antihypertensive drugs,
adult and literate. Dietary Compliance (DC) to a PFADASH which excludes food additives and hydrogenated fats,
Blood Pressure (BP), antihypertensive drug requirements and echocardiography assessments was done for SPs by
collaborating dieticians, pharmacists and physicians. Study adopted a longitudinal prospective study design.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Spearman correlation coefficient and Pearson test were used for inferential
statistics. Drug treatment parameters: prescribed treatment (Rx), actual adherence (Adh), adherence score (AdhRx),
Antihypertensive Drug Treatment Requirement score (ADTR), blood pressure and echocardiographic parameters
did not show positive association with DC (P>0.05) although ADTR and average BP scores was lower in SPs with
good DC without significant impact from potential confounders like sleep and exercise habits. Study participants
with good DC to a PFADASH had lower BP scores with slight improvements in the echocardiographic parameter:
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF). These observations should be pivotal in demonstrating the role of some
dietary constituents in the aetiopathogenesis of EH.