Hypertension (HTN) is one of the disorders with high prevalence, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Indeed, CVDs are known as the main causes of death in the world. In spite of the fact that chemical drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, etc., dwindle the complications of HTN, they consist of disadvantages like adverse reactions even in common doses and medication costs due to needing ?2 drugs in order to achieve blood pressure goals (< 140/90 mmHg or <130/80 mmHg in diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease). Along with the chemical drugs, diet is also important. The Mediterranean diet is one of the invaluable diets in the world in terms of modulating cardiovascular risk factors, such as HTN mainly due to olive tree products which are the staple of this diet.    There are many sorts of phenolic compounds in olive tree products especially olive leaf, which benefit human health attributed, in part, to such effects as anti-hypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, antioxidant, etc. Therefore, we carried out a systemic review with meta-analysis from 5 RCTs which have been conducted to investigate the effect of olive leaf extract (OLE) compared to placebo on blood pressure in adults.      

The meta-analysis revealed that OLE reduces the systolic part of the blood pressure (-4.47 mmHg (95% CI: -7.39 to -1.55)). The anti-hypertensive effect of OLE is mainly considered due to oleuropein (OL) which is the major phenolic compound in olive leaves. OL has the efficacy to reduce blood pressure. The process of which includes particular mechanisms with its specific characteristics.  

Born on September 26th, 1993, Fatemeh Rahimianfar entered the University of Medical Sciences on September 22nd, 2012. She received her Doctorate degree in the field of Medicine, from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran, on July 30th, 2020 and also works as a general practitioner in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, affiliated with this university. She has written chapter 9 of the book “Olive Cultivation” published on July 20th, 2022.