Adherence to a Mediterranean diet associated with lower blood pressure in a US sample: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; blood pressure; hypertension.