Men hoping to ward off high blood pressure might want to boost their consumption of whole grains. A new analysis of data from the long-running Health Professionals Follow-up Study finds that men who ate the most whole grains were 19% less likely to develop hypertension than those eating the least.Alan J. Flint, MD, DrPH, of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues looked at a subset of 31,684 healthy men, of whom 9,227 developed high blood pressure over 18 years. Those in the top one-fifth of whole-grain intake averaged 52 grams daily, while the lowest group got only 3 grams a day; current dietary guidelines call for at least 85 grams (3 ounces) of whole grains daily for adults.The connection between whole-grain consumption and hypertension remained even after accounting for other lifestyle and diet factors, including fruit and vegetable intake, vitamin use, amount of physical activity and whether the men had undergone cholesterol screening. Dr. Flint commented, When the associations persist despite these adjustments, as in the current analysis, it supports the conclusion that it is not due to these other factors.Although the new analysis focused only on men, Dr. Flint and colleagues pointed out that data from the Womens Health Study similarly suggest that whole grains can help control blood pressure.The researchers also looked at individual whole grains. Only bran showed an independent association with hypertension; those eating the most bran were at 15% lower risk compared to men with the least bran in their diets. The amount of bran in the mens diets was relatively small, however, compared to overall whole-grain consumption.
| To keep your blood pressure under control, the American Heart Association advises eating a diet thats rich in: Fruits Vegetables Whole-grain, high-fiber foods Fat-free and low-fat (1%) dairy products Beans Skinless poultry and lean meats Fish, especially fatty fish containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout and herring And low in: Saturated and trans fats Sodium You should also try to limit added sugars. |
Why might whole grains help prevent high blood pressure? The study wasnt designed to explore the mechanism behind such a possible effect, but Dr. Flint and colleagues cited several possibilities. These include improved insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar as well as reduced food intake due to a greater feeling of fullness from eating whole grains.The findings, researchers concluded, have implications for future dietary guidelines and for the prevention of hypertension.TO LEARN MORE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2009; abstract at www.ajcn.org/cgi/ content/abstract/90/3/493>.