High dietary total antioxidant capacity is associated with a reduced risk of hypertension in French women

• Main Authors: Paola Villaverde, Martin Lajous, Conor-James MacDonald, Guy Fagherazzi, Fabrice Bonnet, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019-06-01
• Series: Nutrition Journal
• Subjects: Dietary total antioxidant capacity; Hypertension; TRAP assay; Women
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12937-019-0456-0

Abstract Background Although there is evidence for a reduced risk of hypertension associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, the relationship between the total antioxidant capacity of the diet (TAC) and the risk of hypertension has not been previously examined. We aimed to evaluate that association in the large E3N French prospective cohort of women. Methods Dietary TAC was estimated using total radical-trapping ability parameter (TRAP) assay food values; self-reported incident hypertension cases were validated. Cox regression models were adjusted for conventional risk factors, body mass index, physical activity, energy, sodium, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and alcohol. Results After an average 12.7 years of follow up, there were 9350 incident cases of hypertension among 40,576 women. Dietary TAC was inversely associated with the risk of hypertension with a 15% lower risk of hypertension in those in the fifth vs. first quintile (HRQ5 0.85 [CI 95% 0.74; 0.95] p-trend 0.03) An inverse dose-effect relationship was observed for dietary TAC excluding coffee (HRQ5 0.85 [CI 95% 0.74; 0.95], p-trend 0.0008), while for dietary TAC from coffee, only the highest quintile was inversely associated with risk (HRQ5 0.86 [0.75, 0.97], p-trend 0.20). In a fully partitioned model with major dietary TAC contributors, TAC from fruit/vegetables, wine, and miscellaneous sources was inversely associated with risk, while associations with TAC from coffee, tea, and chocolate were not statistically significant. Conclusions In a large prospective cohort, the risk of incident hypertension in women was inversely associated with the antioxidant capacity of the diet, suggesting that promoting a diet naturally rich in antioxidants might help prevent the development of hypertension.