A prospective study of nutritional factors and hypertension among US men.

TLDR

Epidemiological studies suggest diet influences blood pressure, but the impact of specific nutrients remains unclear. The study prospectively followed 30,681 predominantly white US male health professionals aged 40–75 without hypertension to assess the association between various dietary factors and incident hypertension. During four years, 1,248 men developed hypertension; age, relative weight, and alcohol were the strongest predictors, while dietary fiber, potassium, and magnesium were each associated with lower risk, but only fiber remained independently protective—men consuming less than 12 g/day had a 57 % higher risk.

Abstract

BACKGROUNDAn effect of diet in determining blood pressure is suggested by epidemiological studies, but the role of specific nutrients is still unsettled.METHODS AND RESULTSThe relation of various nutritional factors with hypertension was examined prospectively among 30,681 predominantly white US male health professionals, 40-75 years old, without diagnosed hypertension. During 4 years of follow-up, 1,248 men reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Age, relative weight, and alcohol consumption were the strongest predictors for the development of hypertension. Dietary fiber, potassium, and magnesium were each significantly associated with lower risk of hypertension when considered individually and after adjustment for age, relative weight, alcohol consumption, and energy intake. When these nutrients were considered simultaneously, only dietary fiber had an independent inverse association with hypertension. For men with a fiber intake of < 12 g/day, the relative risk of hypertension was 1.57 (95% confidence in...