Dietary Influence on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure in the TwinsUK Cohort

Abstract

Nutrition plays a key role in blood pressure (BP) regulation. Here, we examine associations between nutrient intakes and BP in a large predominantly female population-based cohort. We assessed the correlation between 45 nutrients (from food frequency questionnaires) and systolic BP/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP) in 3889 individuals from TwinsUK not on hypertensive treatments and replicated in an independent subset of monozygotic twins discordant for nutrient intake (17–242 pairs). Results from both analyses were meta-analysed. For significant nutrients, we calculated heritability using structural equation modelling. We identified and replicated 15 nutrients associated with SBP, 9 also being associated with DBP, adjusting for covariates and multiple testing. 14 of those had a heritable component (h2: 27.1–57.6%). Strong associations with SBP were observed for riboflavin (Beta(SE) = −1.49(0.38),P = 1.00 × 10−4) and tryptophan (−0.31(0.01),P = 5 × 10−4), while with DBP for alcohol (0.05(0.07),P = 1.00 × 10−4) and lactose (−0.05(0.0),P = 1.3 × 10−3). Two multivariable nutrient scores, combining independently SBP/DBP-associated nutrients, explained 22% of the variance in SBP and 13.6% of the variance in DBP. Moreover, bivariate heritability analysis suggested that nutrients and BP share some genetic influences. We confirm current understanding and extend the panel of dietary nutrients implicated in BP regulation underscoring the value of nutrient focused dietary research in preventing and managing hypertension.

Developmental Programming and Reprogramming of Hypertension and Kidney Disease: Impact of Tryptophan Metabolism

“…Dietary tryptophan was shown to have a negative correlation with systolic BP in the TwinsUK study [ 39 ], while this finding was not supported by other evidence [ 40 ]. In hypertensive animal models, dietary tryptophan has been reported to attenuate the development of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rats [ 41 ], Dahl salt-sensitive rats [ 42 ], and renovascular hypertensive rats [ 43 ].…”

Gut microbiome diversity and composition is associated with hypertension in women

“…A number of these pathways have been previously implicated in BP regulation. For instance, tryptophan biosynthesis and metabolism has been linked to SBP, [ 3 ]; while thiamine metabolism, has also been correlated to hypotension in murine models [ 42 ] and thiamine supplement studies [ 43 ] ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…Given the burden of hypertension, any strategy that will improve blood pressure (BP) control will have major public health benefits [ 2 ]. The causation of hypertension is multifactorial [ 3 ], influenced by a host of genetic and environmental factors, including poor diet, obesity, inactivity and smoking, in addition to interactions between these factors [ 3 ]. The human microbiota comprises 10-100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells harboured by each person and is acquired from the environment starting at birth [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Body mass index mediates the effect of the DASH diet on hypertension: Common metabolites underlying the association

“…BP was measured by a trained nurse as previously described 6 . Briefly, triplicate measurements (interval of 1 min) were performed with the patient in the sitting position and the mean of the second and third recorded.…”

“…1,2 Previous studies not only identified individual nutrients, such as sodium and potassium, but also alcohol, saturated fat, riboflavin, tryptophan, biotin and carbohydrate intakes to be associated with differences in blood pressure (BP). [3][4][5][6][7][8] However, foods are consumed, not individual nutrients and the combinations of foods, each with their own matrices of nutrient compositions, 9 may also have an effect on human health, including cardiovascular disease outcomes, 8 through nutrient-nutrient interactions. 8,10 The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was designed to combine the effects of numerous foods and nutrients, previously shown to be beneficial for BP reduction.…”