"Although our research group and others earlier reported an association between higher consumption of vegetable protein and lower blood pressure, as far as we know this is the first paper on the relation of glutamic acid intake to blood pressure," said Ian J. Brown, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a research associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London.
Common sources of vegetable protein include beans, whole grains - including whole grain rice, pasta, breads and cereals - and soy products such as tofu. Durum wheat, which is used to make pasta, is also a good source of vegetable protein.
Stamler noted that there are no data on the possible effects of glutamic acid supplements and emphasized the importance of "improved habitual food intake for the prevention and control of hypertension, not popping pills."
Stamler said the INTERMAP Study may help explain on a molecular level why the Dieatary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers blood pressure. The DASH eating pattern, developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat and nonfat dairy products as well as whole grains, lean poultry, nuts and beans. The pattern is recommended by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the key sponsor of the INTERMAP study.
"The DASH eating pattern resembles the Mediterranean eating style for the 21st century, including reduced salt intake," Stamler noted. "Multiple modifications supply multiple nutrients helpful for the prevention and control of high blood pressure, including glutamic acid.
Although the current study examined just one element in the dietary mix, amino acids, Stamler said there's no one "magic bullet."
Other co-authors include: Martha L. Daviglus, M.D., Ph.D.; Queenie Chan, M.Phil.; Hugo Kesteloot, M.D., Ph.D.; Hirotsugu Ueshima, M.D., Ph.D.; Liancheng Zhao, M.D.; Paul Elliott, M.B., Ph.D.; for the INTERMAP Research Group. Author disclosures are available on the manuscript.
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