Cumulative average nut consumption in relation to lower incidence of hypertension: a prospective cohort study of 10,347 adults

Abstract

Purpose Maintaining optimal blood pressure (BP) levels can be an effective preventive strategy for reducing disease burden. Nut consumption may play a preventive role against hypertension, which is a lifelong condition. We aimed to prospectively examine the association between cumulative average nut consumption and the incidence of hypertension in Korean adults aged 40 years and older. Methods A total of 10,347 participants who were free of hypertension at baseline, were included. Hypertension was defined as having a physician diagnosis and taking antihypertensive medications or having abnormal BP (systolic >= 140 mmHg or diastolic >= 90 mmHg). As an exposure, cumulative average nut consumption was calculated using repeated food-frequency questionnaires (mean: 2.1). We used a modified Poisson regression model with a robust error estimator to estimate the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for hypertension. Results We identified 2047 incident cases of hypertension during 44,614 person-years of follow-up. Among both men and women, an average nut consumption of >= 1 serving/week (15 g/week]) was inversely associated with hypertension incidence (IRR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.58-0.96, p for trend = 0.013 for men; IRR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.59-0.88, p for trend = 0.002 for women) and these significant associations were consistently observed across the strata of potential confounders. Conclusion An average consumption of at least one serving (15 g) per week of peanuts, almonds, and/or pine nuts may be inversely associated with the risk of hypertension among Korean adults aged 40 years and older, in a dose-response manner.