Sodium Reduction and Weight Loss in the Treatment of Hypertension in Older Persons

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Abstract
CLINICAL TRIALS have repeatedly demonstrated that antihypertensive drug therapy reduces the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.1,2 During the past 2 decades, these findings have been confirmed in trials restricted to older patients with hypertension.3,4 Despite the proven benefits of antihypertensive medication, increasing interest in nonpharmacologic approaches to prevent and treat hypertension has been prompted by the knowledge that antihypertensive medication reduces rather than eliminates risk5; the potential for medication-related adverse effects,6 adverse events,7 and biochemical changes8; the high cost of many antihypertensive medications9; and the fact that observational and experimental studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between nutrition and blood pressure (BP).10