- Nearly half of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, or hypertension.
- Current evidence suggests that dietary changes can lower blood pressure, but more research is needed.
- A recent study in China shows that eating a balanced diet that includes protein from a variety of sources can help adults reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Hypertension can lead to cardiovascular disease, careerand diseases that affect the kidneys and the brain.
With almost means, medium of adults in the US living with high blood pressure, scientists are looking for ways to reduce the risk of developing the condition.
Scientists believe that hypertension occurs due to a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors. Current advice is that eating healthier can lower high blood pressure.
Lately, there has been a growing interest in the role of protein as a possible approach to prevent hypertension.
The current study, led by Xianhui Qin, MD, MD, of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, investigated the link between the variety and amount of protein in the diet and new-onset hypertension.
The study authors found that eating protein from a variety of sources could help reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Their findings appear in the journal Hypertension.
Tracy Parker, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundationsaying Today’s medical news“This study adds to the evidence that eating a moderate amount of protein from a variety of foods is an important part of a healthy diet.”
“Although this study was observational, it suggests that eating a selection of plant- and animal-based proteins in your diet may help control your blood pressure and benefit your heart. More research is now needed to help understand this, even in different population groups with different dietary intakes.”
The team took data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, a collaborative project between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC).
The survey collected data between 1989 and 2015 and covered more than 47% of the Chinese population. Data collection was done in waves every 2 to 4 years. In the 2009 wave, the researchers collected blood samples.
The current study used data collected between 1997 and 2015, excluding participants who already had a diagnosis of hypertension, had not completed two rounds of the survey, or had insufficient dietary data.
Trained nutritionists collected information on food intake during face-to-face interviews. This involved 24-hour dietary reminders for 3 days of the same week, along with a household food inventory. From this information, scientists calculated nutrient intake.
The team looked at the variety and amount of protein intake from eight major food sources: whole and refined grains, processed and unprocessed. Red meatpoultry, fish, eggsand vegetables. They then generated protein scores based on how many protein sources a person consumed, awarding one point for each source.
During an average follow-up of 6.1 years, the researchers collected information on newly diagnosed hypertension. The final analysis included a total of 12,177 participants.
The average age of the participants was 41 years and approximately 53% were women. During the study, just over 35% of the participants developed hypertension.
The researchers found that participants with the highest variety of protein in their diet had less than half the rate of new-onset hypertension as those with a protein variety score of less than 2.
The total amount of protein showed a U-shaped curve in relation to the onset of hypertension. This means that those with the least variety and highest protein intake had the highest risk of new-onset hypertension.
For each type of protein, the researchers identified specific levels at which the risk of hypertension is lower.
Dr Qin said MNT he was not surprised by the results. “We speculate that consuming a greater variety of proteins in the right amount could ensure intake of different essential amino acids, which could correlate with better nutritional status, microbiota richness, and diversity.”
“The heart health message is that eating a balanced diet with protein from several different sources, rather than focusing on a single source of dietary protein, can help prevent the development of high blood pressure,” says Dr. Qin. .
Dr Qin said MNT that future work should include participants from other ethnicities and from other regions. “Randomized trials are needed to further examine the associations between the variety and amount of protein intake from different food sources and the risks of hypertension and other health outcomes.”
“In addition, we should better define the appropriate amount of intake of each protein in different populations.”
Parker added: “To keep your heart healthy, you need to focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and whole grains and reduce foods that are high in salt, sugar and saturated fat, such as cakes, cookies and candy. Lifestyle factors, such as exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight, are also important ways to reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disease.”
