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The American Heart Association recommends consuming healthy sources of protein, primarily plant-based, and which may include seafood, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, and, if desired, lean cuts and unprocessed forms of meat or poultry.
Eating a balanced diet that includes protein from a greater variety of sources may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, according to new research published today in “Hypertension.”
The key lies, says the study, in obtaining the necessary protein intake from, especially, vegetarian foodalthough they can also be include seafood and low-fat or fat-free dairy products and, if you wish, lean cuts and unprocessed forms of meat or poultry.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the main contributors to cardiovascular disease. When left untreated, high blood pressure damages the circulatory system and is a major contributing factor to heart attacks, strokes, and other health conditions.
“The nutrition can be an effective and easily accessible measure to fight hypertension. Along with fats and carbohydrates, protein is one of the three basic macronutrients,” says study author Xianhui Qin of the National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases del Hospital Nanfang de Guangzhou, (China).
There is a strong association between poor diet quality and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating one to two servings, or 141,748 (5 ounce) grams, of protein per day.
The study authors analyzed data on the health status of nearly 12,200 adults living in China who were part of at least 2 of the 7 rounds of the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1997 to 2015 (surveys conducted every 2 to 4 years). The initial survey of participants was used as a baseline, while data from their last round was used as a follow-up for comparison. The participants had an average age of 41 years and 47% were men.
The survey assessed dietary intake from three consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and a household food inventory.
Participants received a protein “variety score” based on the amount of different protein sources consumed from the 8 reported: whole grain fiber, refined fiber, processed red meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and legumes. One point was awarded for each protein source, with a maximum variety score of 8. Finally, the researchers assessed the association for new-onset hypertension relative to the protein variety score.
New-onset hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (top number) greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg, taking blood pressure-lowering medications, or self-reporting. that a doctor diagnosed high blood pressure since your last survey visit. The mean follow-up time was 6 years.
The analysis found that more than 35% of nearly 12,200 participants developed new-onset hypertension during follow-up. Compared to participants with the lowest range score for protein intake (less than 2), those with the highest (4 or more) had a 66% lower risk of developing high blood pressure.
For each of the 8 types of protein, there was a possibility of the amount of consumption in which the risk of hypertension was lower. The researchers described this as the appropriate level of consumption.
“The message for improving heart health is that consuming a balanced protein diet from several different sources, rather than focusing on a single source of dietary protein, can help prevent the development of high blood pressure,” Qin notes.
One limitation of the study is its observational design. Because the researchers used prior health information, they couldn’t definitively prove that protein intake of any kind or amount caused or prevented new-onset hypertension.
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