Hypertension affects an estimated 1.5 billion people world-wide and is a chief contributor to death, stroke, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, coronary artery disease and dementia. A number of important causal environmental factors have been identified and include excessive salt or alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, inadequate fruit, vegetable and potassium intake and obesity. Although there have been significant improvements in management, a high percentage of patients still do not achieve target blood pressures.