Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing consumer interest in natural food raw materials and the bioactive compounds they contain. Current research findings from leading research centres on the effects of polyphenolic bioactive compounds have sparked a discussion on the use of polyphenolic compounds as natural therapeutics in the prevention of lifestyle diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. This paper reviews original scientific research on the potential use of polyphenolic bioactive compounds in reducing primary and secondary hypertension. The paper also describes the mechanisms by which bioactive compounds act in the process of counteracting hypertension. Based on these observations, key therapeutic and dietary recommendations for the prevention of hypertension are formulated.