A little more protein might lower blood pressure

June 7, 2006 in Heart Health, Nutrition Topics in the News

A little more protein might lower blood pressure

Recent study findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that a modest increase in the consumption of protein from lean red meat may lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.

The study included 60 hypertensive adults randomly assigned to either maintain their usual diet (control group) or partially replace energy intake from carbohydrate-rich foods with protein from lean red meat (protein group).

On average, the protein group consumed 36 grams more protein per day than the control group. Iron and zinc intakes were significantly higher in the protein group than in the control group. Body weight and intakes of fat, alcohol, and fiber did not differ significantly between the two groups.

Compared with the control group, the protein group had clinic systolic blood pressures that were overall lower. These differences were independent of age, sex, changes in weight, alcohol intake, or urinary sodium and potassium excretion.

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