Hypertension is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality worldwide. Proper nutrition and diet are known to play an indispensable role in the treatment and management of hypertension. Bioactive compounds that occur in small quantities in foods such as onions, fish and red wine are being intensively studied to uncover their vasoprotective, antioxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects which are beneficial to attenuate chronic disease and protect human health. In this article, the anti-hypertensive, and cardio-protective effects of five food-derived bioactive compounds: resveratrol, quercetin, coenzyme Q10, DHA and EPA and their proposed mechanisms of action are reviewed in detail.
Keywords: bioactive compounds; coenzyme Q10; docosahexaenoic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid; hypertension; quercetin; resveratrol.