In what can boost the case for vegetarianism, a study has found that high intake of fruits, veggies, and plant-derived foods, coupled with reduced intake of red meats can cut the risk of high blood pressure.
The study, published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, took into account the blood pressure of 4,300 subjects belonging to the age group of 18 to 30 years and to different ethnicities. Spanning a period of 15 years, the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis study analyzed the dietary patterns of the subjects and found that those who increased the consumption of plant foods, like whole grains, refined grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and legumes, faced lowered risk of high blood pressure.
The researchers defined systolic blood pressure over 130 and/or diastolic blood pressure over 85 as high blood pressure. The second and fifth quintiles of plant foods intake slashed the high blood pressure risk by 27 per cent and 36 per cent respectively as against the lowest quintile of plant food intake.
As far as animal-based foods went, red meats upped the chances of high blood pressure, even though dairy products had little effect on blood pressure. “The findings are consistent with a beneficial effect of plant food intake and an adverse effect of meat intake on blood pressure,” wrote Dr Lyn M Steffen, lead author of the study.
Several other studies have also advocated a diet rich in plant foods for those at risk of hypertension and cardiac ailments. In 1997, a Johns Hopkins University study had studied the effect of diet on 459 adults, with 133 of them suffering from hypertension. The researchers, led by Dr Lawrence J Appel, had found that a diet dominated by fruits and veggies and supplemented with low-fat dairy products was effective in bringing down the blood pressure of hypertension patients.
Previous dietary studies led the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to develop a diet called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), which is heavy on fruits and vegetables and low on dairy products and meat. The diet, rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium, can effectively cut hypertension in a matter of two weeks, the NHLBI claims.
