Objective-To determine the relationship between genetic and environmental lifestyle factors (physical activity and sodium) on blood pressure (BP) among African-American women.Method-In this cross-sectional study involving 108 African-American mothers and daughters from a Midwestern area, investigators obtained BP measurements, information on minutes of physical activity, amount of sodium intake, and buccal swab saliva samples.Results-Of the 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the sodium bicarbonate cotransporter gene (SLC4A5), rs8179526 had a statistically significant interaction with cytosine/ thymine (C/T) genotype by sodium status on systolic BP (SBP; p = .0077). For gene × physical activity interaction, 2 significant interactions (cytosine/adenine [C/A] genotype by physical activity and adenine/adenine [A/A] genotype by physical activity, p = .0107 and p = .0171, respectively) on SBP and 1 on diastolic BP (DBP; A/A genotype by physical activity, p = .0233) were found on rs1017783. Two significant guanine/adenine [G/A] genotype by physical activity interactions were found on rs6731545 for SBP and DBP (p= .0160 and p= .0492, respectively).Discussion-A gene × environmental interaction with rs8179526 has a protective effect on SBP in African-American women with high sodium intake. Participants with C/T genotype of rs8179526 who consumed greater than 2,300 mg of sodium had lower SBP than those who consumed less than recommended. Women with thymine/thymine (T/T) genotype of rs8179526 who consumed greater than 2,300 mg had lower SBP than those who consumed less. Awareness of both the protective and deleterious properties of rs8179526 in African-American women may one day assist in determining appropriate treatment plans. (203) Litwin et al., 2007). Maternal obesity has been recognized as a contributing factor in developing obesity in childhood (Strauss & Knight, 1999), and metabolic syndrome among parents is associated with a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome in children, especially within the African American population (Meis, Schuster, Gaillard, & Osei, 2006). Findings from the CDC National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007b) maintained that African American women have the highest rate of obesity in the 20-39 age groups. Unlike for Mexican American and White women, this prevalence continues to rise throughout African American women's lifetime to reach a staggering 61% by the time they reach age 60.The American Heart Association (AHA, 2007;Rosamond et al., 2007) has reported that CV disease is the primary cause of death among African Americans, with nearly 5 out of 10 African Americans developing CV disease. African American women have the highest prevalence of HBP of all demographic groups (AHA, 2007;Nesbitt & Victor, 2004). African Americans also experience a high percentage of HBP-related morbidity at an earlier age (Sile et al., 2007). In 2004, 40.9% of the 31,608 women who died from HBP-related diseases were African American; in contrast, 14.5% were White women (AHA). HBP-rel...
