A variedade da dieta é fator protetor para a press？o arterial sistólica elevada

background: diet directly influences systemic arterial hypertension (sah), which is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. objective: to associate hypertension with dietary factors in adults clinically selected for a change-of-lifestyle program. methods: cross-sectional study comprising 335 individuals, aged between 44 and 65 years, clinically selected for a change-of-lifestyle program. we evaluated anthropometric data (bmi, %body fat and waist circumference), biochemical components (plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, hdl-c and ldl-c) and diet, through the 24-hour recall method. the quality of the diet was assessed by the healthy eating index. blood pressure was measured according to the v brazilian guidelines on hypertension and classified according to ncep-atpiii. logistic regression was performed to determine the likelihood of changes in sbp and dbp according to dietary intake. the level of significance was set at p <0.05. results: there was a positive correlation between diastolic blood pressure and sugar and cholesterol intake, and a negative one with intake of fiber, portions of oil and fats and diet quality. dietary variety with ≥ 8 food items showed a protective effect for alterations in systolic blood pressure, or = 0.361 (0.148 to 0.878). conclusion: a greater dietary variety had a protective effect on the systolic blood pressure.