Relationship of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids to blood pressure: the international study of macro/micronutrients and blood pressure

Objective: In short-term feeding trials, replacement of other macronutrients with monounsaturated fatty acid reduces blood pressure. However, observational studies have not clearly demonstrated a relationship between monounsaturated fatty acid intake and blood pressure. We report associations of monounsaturated fatty acid intake of individuals with blood pressure in a cross-sectional study. Methods: The International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure is a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 4,680 men and women ages 40-59 from 17 population samples in China, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. Nutrient intake data were based on four in-depth multi-pass 24-hour dietary recalls/person and two timed 24-hour urine collections/person. Blood pressure was measured eight times at four visits. Results: Mean monounsaturated fatty acid intake ranged from 8.1 %kcal (China) to 12.2%kcal (United States). With sequential models to control for possible confounders (dietary, other), linear regression analyses showed significant inverse relationship of total monounsaturated fatty acid intake with diastolic blood pressure for all participants; for 2,238 “non-intervened” individuals, the relationship was stronger. Estimated diastolic blood pressure differences with 2-SD higher monounsaturated fatty acids (5.35 %kcal) were -0.82 mm Hg (P<0.05) for all participants and -1.70 mm Hg (P<0.01) for non-intervened individuals. Inverse associations of dietary total oleic acid (main monounsaturated) with blood pressure in non-intervened individuals were not significant, but those of oleic acid from vegetable sources were stronger and significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Dietary monounsaturated fatty acid intake, especially oleic acid from vegetable sources, may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations. Condensed Abstract The associations of monounsaturated fatty acid intake of individuals with blood pressure was investigated in a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 4,680 men and women ages 40-59 from 17 population samples in China, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. Linear regression analyses showed significant inverse relationship of total monounsaturated fatty acid intake with diastolic blood pressure. Inverse associations of dietary total oleic acid from vegetable sources with blood pressure in non-intervened individuals were stronger and significant. Dietary monounsaturated fatty acid intake, especially oleic acid from vegetable sources, may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations

Five blood pressure loci identified by an updated genome-wide linkage scan: meta-analysis of the Family Blood Pressure Program.

BACKGROUND: A preliminary genome-wide linkage analysis of blood pressure in the Family Blood Pressure Program (FBPP) was reported previously. We harnessed the power and ethnic diversity of the final pooled FBPP dataset to identify novel loci for blood pressure thereby enhancing localization of genes containing less common variants with large effects on blood pressure levels and hypertension. METHODS: We performed one overall and 4 race-specific meta-analyses of genome-wide blood pressure linkage scans using data on 4,226 African-American, 2,154 Asian, 4,229 Caucasian, and 2,435 Mexican-American participants (total N = 13,044). Variance components models were fit to measured (raw) blood pressure levels and two types of antihypertensive medication adjusted blood pressure phenotypes within each of 10 subgroups defined by race and network. A modified Fisher's method was used to combine the P values for each linkage marker across the 10 subgroups. RESULTS: Five quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected on chromosomes 6p22.3, 8q23.1, 20q13.12, 21q21.1, and 21q21.3 based on significant linkage evidence (defined by logarithm of odds (lod) score ≥3) in at least one meta-analysis and lod scores ≥1 in at least 2 subgroups defined by network and race. The chromosome 8q23.1 locus was supported by Asian-, Caucasian-, and Mexican-American-specific meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The new QTLs reported justify new candidate gene studies. They may help support results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that fall in these QTL regions but fail to achieve the genome-wide significance

Biomarkers, menopausal hormone therapy and risk of venous thrombosis: The Women's Health Initiative

Clinical epidemiolog

Relationship of dietary linoleic acid to blood pressure: the international study of macro-micronutrients and blood pressure study

Findings from observational and interventional studies on the relationship of dietary linoleic acid, the main dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid, with blood pressure have been inconsistent. The International Study of Macro-Micronutrients and Blood Pressure is an international cross-sectional epidemiological study of 4680 men and women ages 40 to 59 years from 17 population samples in China, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. We report associations of linoleic acid intake of individuals with their blood pressure. Nutrient intake data were based on 4 in-depth multipass 24-hour dietary recalls per person and 2 timed 24-hour urine collections per person. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured 8 times at 4 visits. With several models to control for possible confounders (dietary or other), linear regression analyses showed a nonsignificant inverse relationship of linoleic acid intake (percent kilocalories) to systolic and diastolic blood pressure for all of the participants. When analyzed for 2238 "nonintervened" individuals (not on a special diet, not consuming nutritional supplements, no diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and not taking medication for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes), the relationship was stronger. With adjustment for 14 variables, estimated systolic/diastolic blood pressure differences with 2-SD higher linoleic acid intake (3.77% kcal) were –1.42/–0.91 mm Hg (P<0.05 for both) for nonintervened participants. For total polyunsaturated fatty acid intake, blood pressure differences were –1.42/–0.98 mm Hg (P<0.05 for both) with 2 SD higher intake (4.04% kcal). Dietary linoleic acid intake may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations

Pressão arterial entre trabalhadores de curtume Blood pressure among tannery workers

INTRODUÇÃO: O grupo das doenças cardiovasculares tem sido apontado como a principal causa de óbito no Brasil desde os anos 70, sendo a hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) o fator de risco mais importante para esse grupo. Entre os trabalhadores observa-se correlação negativa entre o status ocupacional e a pressão arterial. Tais fatos ressaltam a importância do conhecimento da distribuição da pressão arterial sistêmica entre os distintos grupos profissionais. Assim, foi realizado estudo para descrever o status pressórico de uma população homogênea e estável de trabalhadores do setor secundário da economia, pouco especializados e que ganham baixos salários, estabelecendo a prevalência da HAS nesse grupo específico, relacionando-a com algumas covariáveis biológicas e socioeconômicas, e comparando-a com a prevalência de HAS em outros grupos profissionais no Brasil. MÉTODO: Foram estudados 73 trabalhadores regularmente empregados em julho de 1993 em um curtume situado no Município de Botucatu, cidade de médio porte da região Centro-Oeste do Estado de São Paulo, os quais foram submetidos a exame antropométrico, aferição de pressão arterial, anamnese e exame clínico. Os resultados foram comparados com os obtidos em estudos semelhantes, controlando-se o confundimento da idade por intermédio de diferentes técnicas. RESULTADOS: A prevalência bruta da HAS encontrada foi de 56,1%, sendo 15,8% a prevalência de hipertensão sistólica isolada. Ambas se associaram ao etilismo e ao tabagismo na população estudada. DISCUSSÃO: A prevalência da hipertensão foi consideravelmente alta e significativamente maior do que a encontrada em outros grupos de trabalhadores estudados no Brasil. Tal achado ressalta a necessidade da continuidade da investigação, objetivando o isolamento dos fatores implicados na elevação pressórica do grupo estudado.<br>INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases have been shown to be the leading cause of death in Brazil since the 1970s. High blood pressure has been the major risk factor among the above mentioned diseases. A negative correlation between occupational qualification and blood pressure has been observed among workers. The above mentioned facts bring out the importance of the knowledge of high blood pressure distribution among the different occupational groups. The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution of blood pressure in stable and homogeneous population of unskilled, low wage larning industrial workers. The Prevalence of high blood pressure was established for this specific group. This prevalence was also related to some biological and socio-economical covariates as compared with that among other occupational groups in Brazil. METHOD: The subjects were 73 active employees at a tannery in Botucatu, state of S.Paulo, Brazil, in July 1993. These subjects underwent blood pressure measurements, anamnesis and clinical examination. The results were compared with those of similar studies carried out in elsewhere Brazil. Age confounding was controlled by different techniques. RESULT: The crude prevalence of high blood pressure detected in this group of workers was of 56.1%, with 15.8% of isolated systolic hypertension. Alcohol abuse and smoking were associated with high blood pressure and isolated systolic hypertension in the population studied. DISCUSSION: Prevalence of hypertension in the group studied is significantly higher than that observed in other groups of workers studied in Brazil. Such a finding points to the need for further investigation so as to isolate those factors involved in the increased blood pressure found in this group

The hypertension peril: lessons from CETP inhibitors

Pharmacologic inhibitors of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) are capable of increasing HDL cholesterol by 50% to 100% in humans. Despite intriguing antiatherogenic effects of CETP inhibition in animal models of atherosclerosis, the Investigation of Lipid Level Management to Understand its Impact in Atherosclerotic Events trial investigators observed an excess of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with the use of the CETP inhibitor torcetrapib. This review summarizes available clinical and experimental data about potential underlying mechanisms