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Dietary macronutrients and blood pressure in southwestern China
1Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Objectives:
To study the relationship between dietary macronutrients and blood pressure.
Design:
A cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Liangshan, southwestern China.
Participants:
Three hundred and twelve Yi farmers living in a remote mountainous area, and 264 Yi migrants and 251 Han people living in an urban setting.
Main Outcome Measurements:
Blood pressure and dietary nutrient intake, obtained by asking the subjects to recall their nutrient consumption during the previous 24 h, were measured on three consecutive days.
Results:
After adjusting for age, body mass index, alcohol use, urinary excretion of sodium, total energy intake and area of residence and after correcting for the effects of regression dilution bias, a 1 SD higher intake of dietary total protein (39 g) was associated with lower systolic (-3.55 mmHg), and diastolic (-2.16 mmHg) blood pressures. Likewise, a 1 SD higher fiber intake (10 g) was significantly associated both with a lower systolic (-2.20 mmHg) and with a lower diastolic (-2.08 mmHg) blood pressure.
Conclusion:
Diets higher in protein and fiber content are associated with a lower blood pressure in the present population sample. The present results indicate that dietary intake of macronutrients might be important in the development and prevention of high blood pressure.