[PHNUTR-L] JAMA: Higher intake of vegetable protein associated with lower blood pressure

[Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD]

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Public release date: 9-Jan-2006
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/jaaj-hio010506.php

Contact: Paul Elliott
p.elliott at imperial.ac.uk
JAMA and Archives Journals

Higher intake of vegetable protein associated with lower blood pressure 
levels

People who eat more protein from vegetables tend to have lower blood 
pressure, according to a new study in the January 9 issue of Archives of 
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Most adults have either high blood pressure (hypertension) or 
prehypertensive blood pressure levels, according to background 
information in the article. Previous studies have found evidence that 
meat eaters generally have higher blood pressure than vegetarians. Other 
research looked directly at the effect of high overall protein intake 
and found that people with higher total protein intake are likely to 
have lower blood pressure, the authors report.

Paul Elliott, M.B., Ph.D., from Imperial College London, and colleagues 
analyzed data from the INTERMAP study, which included 4,680 people 
(2,359 men and 2,321 women) aged 40 to 59 years from four countries. 
They measured each participant's systolic and diastolic blood pressure 
eight times at four visits in a three- to six-week period. Each person 
wrote down everything they had eaten and drank during the previous 24 
hours, including dietary supplements, at each visit. Urine samples were 
also taken on the first and third examinations.

Judging by their food records and urine samples, those who ate more 
vegetable protein were more likely to have lower blood pressure than 
those who ate less vegetable protein. Though the researchers noted a 
slight association between animal protein and high blood pressure, this 
link disappeared when they accounted for participants' height and 
weight. There was no link between total protein intake and blood 
pressure, in contrast to previous studies.

The researchers are unsure exactly how vegetable proteins might affect 
blood pressure, but note from their data that amino acids may play a 
role. Some of these building blocks of protein have been shown to 
influence blood pressure, and different amino acids were present in 
diets high in vegetable protein than in those that contained more animal 
protein. Other dietary components of vegetables, such as magnesium, also 
may interact with amino acids to lower blood pressure.

"Our results are consistent with current recommendations that a diet 
high in vegetable products be part of a healthy lifestyle for prevention 
of high blood pressure and related chronic diseases," the authors write. 
"Definitive ascertainment of a causal relationship between vegetable 
protein intake and blood pressure awaits further data from randomized 
controlled trials, especially regarding the effect of constituent amino 
acids on blood pressure."
-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar at nutritionucanlivewith.com >
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