Table 2.

Main studies about mediterranean diet and its effects on hypertension.

Author and Journal	Brief Description	Conclusions
Toledo et al. 2013 [99]	The PREDIMED primary prevention trial is a randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial conducted in Spanish primary healthcare centers. 7447 men (aged 55 to 80 years) and women (aged 60 to 80 years) who had high risk for cardiovascular disease were assigned to a control group or to one of two Mediterranean diets. The control group received education on following a low-fat diet, while the groups on Mediterranean diets received nutritional education and also free foods; either extra virgin olive oil, or nuts.	Both the traditional Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet exerted beneficial effects on BP and could be part of advice to patients for controlling BP. However, we found lower values of diastolic BP in the two groups promoting the Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or with nuts than in the control group.
Storniolo et al. 2017 [105]	Non-smoking women with moderate hypertension were submitted for 1 year to interventions promoting adherence to the TMD, one supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and the other with nuts versus a control low-fat diet (30 participants/group). BP, NO, ET-1 and related gene expression as well as oxidative stress biomarkers were measured.	The changes in NO and ET-1 as well as ET-1 receptors gene expression explain, at least partially, the effect of EVOO or nuts on lowering BP among hypertensive women.
Nissensohn et al. 2016 [98]	Six trials (more than 7000 individuals) were identified. Meta-analysis showed that interventions aiming at adopting an MD pattern for at least 1 year reduced both the systolic BP and diastolic BP levels in individuals with normal BP or mild hypertension.	A positive and significant association was found between the MD and BP in adults.
Moreno-Luna et al. 2012 [112]	Double-blind, randomized, crossover dietary- intervention study. After a run-in period of 4 months (baseline values), two diets were used, one with polyphenol-rich olive oil (∼30 mg/day), the other with polyphenol-free olive oil. Each dietary period lasted 2 months with a 4-week washout between diets	The consumption of a diet containing polyphenol-rich olive oil can decrease BP and improve endothelial function in young women with high-normal BP or stage 1 essential hypertension.
Alonso et al. 2004 [122]	Prospective cohort study whose members are all university graduates to assess the risk of hypertension associated with olive oil consumption.	In a Mediterranean population, we found olive oil consumption to be associated with a reduced risk of hypertension only among men.
Psaltopoulou et al. 2004 [117]	Arterial blood pressure and several sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary, physical activity, and clinical variables were recorded at enrollment among participants in the Greek arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.	Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with arterial blood pressure, even though a beneficial component of the Mediterranean diet score-cereal intake-is positively associated with arterial blood pressure. Olive oil intake, per se, is inversely associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.