Impact of two nutritional education programs on cardiovascular risk in overweight hypertensive patients

Abstract

Objective
To evaluate and compare the effects of two study protocols with a program of educational nutrition intervention on CARDIOVACULAR risk in overweight hypertensive patients maintained on their usual medication. Patients were followed at Hypertension and Metabology Division of Federal University of São Paulo.

Methods
Sixty tree overweight [body mass index u27 e <39kg/m2] hypertensive patients, age M=55,7 (Standard deviation - SD=6,1) years old, 12 men and 51 women, were divided into two groups according to visit intervals, either every five weeks (G35 n=25) or every two weeks (G14 n=38), during twenty weeks. The two groups were submitted to an educational program aiming to improve the quality of their diet and to promote changes in their alimentary habits. Before and at the end of the study period, all patients were submitted to blood pressure determinations, to anthopometric measurements and to laboratorial evaluation for the calculation of Framingham coronary risk.

Results
At the end of the study significant and similar changes in body mass index, waist circumference (102,9, SD=9,7 vs 101,8, SD=7,6 NS), systolic blood pressure (139,7, SD=12,4 vs 134,8, SD=8,2 NS), total cholesterol (192,9, SD=35,7 vs 195,2, SD=37,8 NS), energy intake (1759,5, SD=385,8 vs 1858,7, SD=452,8 NS) and Framingham coronary risk (11,1, SD=6,1 vs 9,4, SD=3,5 NS) we observed in G14 and G35 groups respectively.

Conclusion
A short program of nutritional intervention was shown to be useful to reduce coronary risk in overweight hypertensive patients despite a very small change in body weight. A higher frequency of visits did not achieve better results, with a monthly visit being enough for positive changes although with a higher rate of drop outs.