Does a 2 mm Hg reduction in population mean diastolic blood pressure prevent CHD and stroke events in the general population?
A population-wide 2 mm Hg reduction in diastolic blood pressure could significantly reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke.
A small reduction of 2 mm Hg in DBP in the mean of the population distribution, in addition to medical treatment, could have a great public health impact on the number of CHD and stroke events prevented. Whether such DBP reductions can be achieved in the population through lifestyle interventions, in particular through sodium reduction, depends on the results of ongoing primary prevention trials as well as the cooperation of the food industry, government agencies, and health education professionals.
Nancy R. Cook (Mon,) studied this question.