Carbohydrates undermine heart health

Diets containing carbohydrates, regardless of its amount, may contribute to new-onset hypertension, with minimal risk evident at 50–55 percent carbohydrate intake, a study has found.

The study followed a total of 12,177 adults who were free of hypertension at baseline from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary intake was assessed via three consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls combined with a household food inventory. The outcome of new-onset hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg, a diagnosis by physician, or receipt of antihypertensive treatment during follow-up.

There were 4,269 individuals who developed hypertension over 95,157 person-years of follow-up. A U-shaped association emerged between the percentage energy consumed from total carbohydrate (mean, 56.7 percent) and new-onset hypertension (p_nonlinearity<0.001).

The lowest risk was noted among participants with 50–55 percent carbohydrate intake, whereas the heightened risks were mainly seen among those with lower intake of high-quality carbohydrate (mean, 6.4 percent) or higher intake of low-quality carbohydrate (mean, 47.0 percent).

Additionally, new-onset hypertension showed an inverse relationship with the plant-based low-carbohydrate scores for low-quality carbohydrate. On the other hand, the association observed with the animal-based low-carbohydrate scores for low-quality carbohydrate followed a U-shaped pattern (p_nonlinearity<0.001).

The present data support the intake of high-quality carbohydrate and the replacement of plant-based products for low-quality carbohydrate in the prevention of hypertension.