Dietary vitamin E intake and new-onset hypertension

The association between dietary vitamin E intake and the risk of new-onset hypertension remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the prospective relationship of dietary vitamin E intake with new-onset hypertension in the general Chinese population. A total of 12,177 adults without hypertension at baseline were enrolled from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary intake was measured by 3 consecutive 24 h dietary recalls at the individual level in combination with a weighing inventory taken over the same 3 days at the household level. The study outcome was new-onset hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, a diagnosis by a physician, or the use of antihypertensive treatment during follow-up. During a median follow-up duration of 6.1 years, 4269 participants developed new-onset hypertension. Overall, the association between dietary vitamin E intake and new-onset hypertension followed a reverse J-shaped curve (P for nonlinearity <0.001). Accordingly, when dietary vitamin E intake was assessed by quintiles, significantly higher risks of new-onset hypertension were found among participants in the first quintile (<18.75 mg/d: adjusted HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.29-1.52) and the fifth quintile (≥40.53 mg/d: adjusted HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09-1.29) compared with those in the second-fourth quintiles (18.75 to <40.53 mg/d). Further adjustments for vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, zinc, copper, and selenium intake or the intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, and vegetable oils did not substantially change the results. In conclusion, there was a reverse J-shaped association between dietary vitamin E intake and new-onset hypertension in general Chinese adults.