title: Effect of dietary pulses on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current guidelines recommend diet and lifestyle modifications for primary prevention and treatment of hypertension, but do not encourage dietary pulses specifically for lowering blood pressure (BP). To quantify the effect of dietary pulse interventions on BP and provide evidence for their inclusion in dietary guidelines, a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were each searched from inception through 5 May 2013. Human trials ≥3 weeks that reported data for systolic, diastolic, and/or mean arterial BPs were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality and risk of bias of included studies. Effect estimates were pooled using random effects models, and reported as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed (χ(2) test) and quantified (I(2)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight isocaloric trials (n = 554 participants with and without hypertension) were included in the analysis. Dietary pulses, exchanged isocalorically for other foods, significantly lowered systolic (MD = -2.25 mm Hg (95% CI, -4.22 to -0.28), P = 0.03) and mean arterial BP (MD = -0.75 mm Hg (95% CI, -1.44 to -0.06), P = 0.03), and diastolic BP non-significantly (MD = -0.71 mm Hg (95% CI, -1.74 to 0.31), P = 0.17). Heterogeneity was significant for all outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary pulses significantly lowered BP in people with and without hypertension. Higher-quality large-scale trials are needed to support these findings.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT01594567.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Viranda H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Jayalath
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sievenpiper
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiavaroli
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mirrahimi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Buono
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Leiter
authors.forename: Penny M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kris-Etherton
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vuksan
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beyene
authors.forename: Cyril W C
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: David J A
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004032:Diet; D007887:Fabaceae; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012639:Seeds; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: blood pressure; dietary pulses; guidelines.; hypertension; legumes; meta analysis