Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Clinical Hypertension
Publisher
Wiley Periodicals, LLC
Publication Date
2020
First Page
2276
Last Page
2284
Issue Number
22
Volume Number
2020
Abstract/ Summary
Hypertension is a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) may be associated with improvements in blood pressure. However, few studies have examined the association between MedDiet adherence and blood pressure in non-Mediterranean populations, and findings are mixed. We analyzed cross-sectional data (Wave 6) for 851 participants of the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study. MedDiet adherence was calculated using food frequency questionnaire data and a literature-based MedDiet adherence score. Dependent variables included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Separate linear robust regression analyses revealed significant associations between MedDiet adherence and for SBP (b = -0.69, 95% CI = [-1.25, -0.20]), DBP (b = -0.33, 95% CI = [-0.58, -0.04]), and MAP (b = -0.45, 95% CI = [-0.77, -0.11]), but not for PP. These findings indicate that the MedDiet is associated with some metrics of blood pressure in a large, community-based, non-Mediterranean sample.
Repository Citation
Ahmed, Fayeza S.; Wade, Alexandra T.; Guenther, Benjamin A.; Murphy, Karen J.; and Elias, Merrill F., "Adherence to a Mediterranean diet associated with lower blood pressure in a US sample: Findings from the Maine- Syracuse Longitudinal Study" (2020). Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Papers. 81.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/longitudinal_papers/81
DOI
10.1111/jch.14068
Version
publisher's version of the published document
Rights Statement
