ObjectiveTo review guidelines on diet intervention for hypertension, compare the similarities/differences and the regularity of the guidelines, discuss the prevention and treatment effects of diet intervention for hypertension, promote the understanding of the guide, and to explore the best method of diet intervention for hypertension. MethodsDatabase such as CNKI, EMbase, PubMed, etc., as well as guideline websites were searched from inception to February 28th, 2014, for collecting guidelines on diet intervention in the prevention and treatment of hypertension. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE Ⅱ) were applied to assess methodological quality of the guidelines. Characteristics of diets recommended by the guidelines were analyzed through comparing the different regions and quality levels of the guidelines. ResultsA total of 27 guidelines on diet intervention for hypertension were included. They were formulated by 5 continents, 9 countries, 2 regions (Taiwan of China and Europe), and 1 international organization (WHO). According to the AGREE Ⅱ instrument, 13 guidelines were graded as Level A (recommendation) and 14 were graded as Level B (recommended after changes), respectively. The domains were more than 60% except for "rigor of development" (57.89±7.71)% and "applicability" (58.39±6.29)%. Each guideline recommended low sodium diet (usually:5 to 6 g/d; Oceania:4 g/d; North America:the amount of sodium intake should be decreased as age increases). The amount of alcohol intake was generally 30 mL/d for men and 20 mL/d for women. All included guidelines recommended to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and potassium. ConclusionCurrently, more than half of diet intervention recommendations for hypertension in different countries and regions are still needs to be improved and modified. Diet recommendations differ in regions, gender, and age.