The Blood-Pressure-Lowering Effect of Food-Protein-Derived Peptides: A Meta-Analysis of Recent Clinical Trials

Although clinical trials of food-protein-derived peptides in the management of hypertension have been published, the results are controversial, which compelled us to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the pooled effect of peptide intervention. In this study, we searched for studies published between 2010 and 2021 and selected 12 eligible studies for a meta-analysis. The pooled effect of peptide intervention for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was -3.28 mmHg (95% CI: -4.54, -2.03, p < 0.001) and -1.82 mmHg (95% CI: -3.46, -0.18, p = 0.03), respectively. Sub-group analyses showed that the reduction in BP in participants with higher basal BP (> 140/85 mmHg) was greater (p = 0.007 for SBP and p = 0.01 for DBP), and the effect was stronger in Asian participants as compared with non-Asian participants (p = 0.01 for SBP and p = 0.04 for DBP). In addition, the effect of peptide intervention was more pronounced on SBP in participant groups with a lower ratio of male to female (<= 0.5) as well as in participants with a mean age >= 50 years old. In conclusion, food-protein-derived antihypertensive peptides can significantly reduce BP in prehypertensive and hypertensive patients. Findings from this study could provide guidance for the design of clinical trials of antihypertensive peptides.

Automated summary

Meta-analysis of studies on food-protein-derived peptides for hypertension management showed significant reduction in blood pressure, particularly in Asian participants and those with higher baseline blood pressure. These findings could guide the design of clinical trials for antihypertensive peptides.