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Changing dietary patterns and associated risk factors on trends in blood pressure levels in middle-aged Irish adults: a population-based study

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 30, pages 147–148 (2016)Cite this article

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Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and contributes to more than nine million deaths annually. 1, 2 Favourable secular trends in population blood pressure (BP) levels have been reported in many developed countries. 2 In Ireland, favourable trends in population BP levels have contributed to 28% reduction in coronary heart disease deaths over the past two decades. 3 In a modelling study, we have demonstrated that improving specific food choices (including reducing dietary salt intakes) would lead to further reductions in annual CVD deaths. 4 However, there are methodological challenges directly linking reductions in population dietary salt intakes to observed improvements in CVD outcomes. 5 Therefore, our study hypothesis is that a favourable secular trend in population BP levels is positively associated with an improvement in population dietary quality that captures dietary salt intake.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial (low in salt, fat and processed foods and high in fruit and vegetables) was associated with lowering in BP levels.6 A recent Irish study among middle-aged adults also demonstrated that adherence to DASH-equivalent diet can reduce population BP levels.7 Based on validated work,8 a DASH score for each food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) respondent was constructed in this Irish study.7 Details of the DASH score have been reported elsewhere;9 it was a composite score derived from standard food groups within the FFQ as described by Fung et al.8 A similar FFQ methodology was applied to the present study, which sets out to examine changes in distribution and determinants of systolic BP (SBP) in middle-aged Irish adults over a 12-year period (1998–2010) using two large population-based cohorts.

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Acknowledgements

The findings were presented in part at the 2013 Society of Social Medicine Annual Meeting in the United Kingdom. We thank Ms Catherine Perry for her inputs on the revised draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Z Kabir, J M Harrington, P M Kearney & I J Perry

  2. Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

    G Browne

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  1. Z Kabir
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  2. J M Harrington
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  3. G Browne
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  4. P M Kearney
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  5. I J Perry
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Correspondence to Z Kabir.

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Kabir, Z., Harrington, J., Browne, G. et al. Changing dietary patterns and associated risk factors on trends in blood pressure levels in middle-aged Irish adults: a population-based study. J Hum Hypertens 30, 147–148 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2015.36

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