Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
5-20-2025
Journal
Journal of the American Heart Association
DOI
10.1161/JAHA.124.037813
PMID
40207538
PMCID
PMC12184573
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
4-10-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Background: Dietary guidelines recommend adequate protein intake from diverse sources for optimal blood pressure; however, its role in hypertension risk remains unclear. We examined prospective associations of protein intake and diversity, overall and by source, with hypertension risk in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) study.
Methods and results: Among 2294 participants aged 45 to 84 years without hypertension at baseline, total, animal, and plant protein intake was assessed using a 120-item food frequency questionnaire. Protein diversity was evaluated using count and the dissimilarity index. Over a 9-year median follow-up, 1356 hypertension cases were identified through blood pressure measurements and medication records. Associations with hypertension risk were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses. In multivariable-adjusted models, we found inverse, nonlinear relationships between plant protein intake and count (P-nonlinearity< 0.05), indicating a lower hypertension risk associated with higher consumption and number of different plant protein sources. Greater dissimilarity in plant foods was associated with a higher hypertension risk (hazard ratio [HR], 1.72 [95% CI, 1.06-2.81]). We found no statistically significant associations between total or animal protein (intake or diversity in food sources) and risk of hypertension (HRs for each 20 g/d, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.97-1.14]; and 1.06 [95% CI, 0.99-1.15] for total and animal protein intake, respectively).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that higher consumption and variety of minimally processed plant proteins lower hypertension risk, while minimally processed animal proteins can be included without significantly increasing hypertension risk among middle-aged US adults.
Keywords
Humans, Hypertension, Male, Middle Aged, Female, Aged, United States, Prospective Studies, Aged, 80 and over, Risk Factors, Incidence, Plant Proteins, Dietary, Blood Pressure, Animal Proteins, Dietary, Dietary Proteins, Risk Assessment, Proportional Hazards Models, dietary protein intake, diversity of protein sources, food source, hypertension prevention, plant protein, Cardiovascular Disease, Epidemiology, Diet and Nutrition
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Tark, Ji Yun; Li, Ruosha; Yu, Bing; et al., "Dietary Intake of Protein by Food Source and Incident Hypertension Among Diverse US Adults: The MESA Study" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1099.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1099
Included in
Cardiology Commons, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons