Relationship between Nutrition and Alcohol Consumption with Blood Pressure: The ESTEBAN Survey

Associations between depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms and elevated blood pressure: Findings from the CHCN-BTH cohort study and a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

BACKGROUND

We aimed to determine whether depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms were associated with the risk of elevated blood pressure by performing longitudinal cohort and Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses.

METHODS

We used data from the Cohort Study on Chronic Disease of Community Natural Population in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (CHCN-BTH) from 2017 to 2021. The Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale was used to evaluate the depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms. The longitudinal associations between depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms and elevated blood pressure were estimated using Cox proportional regression models. Two-sample MR analysis was performed using the Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger to explore the causal relationships between depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms and elevated blood pressure.

RESULTS

In total, 5624 participants were included. The risk of SBP ≥ 140 mmHg or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg was significantly higher in participants with baseline anxiety symptoms (HR = 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.03 to 2.12, P = 0.033; HR = 1.56, 95 % CI: 1.05 to 2.32, P = 0.028), especially in men and individuals with higher educational levels, independent of baseline depression and anxiety at the two-year follow-up. The two-sample MR analysis showed positive associations between depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms and elevated blood pressure.

LIMITATION

Self-reported mental health symptoms, relatively shorter follow-up duration and the European-derived genome-wide association study data for MR analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety symptoms were positively associated with elevated blood pressures in the longitudinal analysis independent of depression, stress, and other confounders. The results were verified in MR analysis, providing evidence for causal effects of anxiety symptoms on the risk of elevated blood pressure.

The Development and Validation of the "Hippocratic Hypertension Self-Care Scale"

BACKGROUND

The adoption of self-care behaviors among patients with arterial hypertension (AH) plays an important role in the management of their health condition. However, a lack of scales assessing self-care is observed. We aimed to develop and validate the Hippocratic hypertension self-care scale.

METHODS

From a pool of questions derived from a literature review, 18 items were included in the scale and reviewed by a committee of experts. Participants indicated the frequency at which they followed the self-behavior prescribed in each statement on a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected between April 2019 and December 2019.

RESULTS

A total of 202 consecutive adult patients with AH were enrolled in the study. The internal consistency of the scale was found to be 0.807, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. An exploratory factor analysis identified two domains that accounted for 92.94% of the variance in the scale items; however, each sub-scale could not be used as an independent scale. Finally, the test-retest of the scale showed a significant strong correlation (r = 0.0095, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This analysis indicates that the scale is reliable and valid for assessing self-care behaviors in patients with AH. It is suggested that health professionals use it in their clinical practice to improve the management of AH.

Comparison of the influence of alcohol and cannabis on the dynamics of the accommodative response

PURPOSE

To assess and compare the changes produced by the two most commonly used substances, alcohol and cannabis, on accommodation dynamics.

METHODS

A total of 38 young participants (19 females) were enrolled in the study. They were assigned to two groups: a cannabis group (N = 19) and an alcohol group. Participants in the cannabis group underwent two randomized sessions: a baseline session and a session after smoking a cigarette. Participants in the alcohol group underwent three randomized sessions: a baseline session, a session after the intake of 300 ml of red wine (Alcohol 1), and other after the ingestion of 450 ml of wine (Alcohol 2). For the accommodation assessment, the open-field autorefractor WAM-5500 was used.

RESULTS

The decrease of the mean velocity of the accommodative response produced by Alcohol 2 condition was significantly greater than that observed for Alcohol 1 and Cannabis (p = 0.046). The direction of the accommodation (near-distance and distance-near) had no effect on the deterioration of the accommodation dynamics following substance use. The target distance had a significant effect on the decrease of the mean velocity following substance use (p = 0.002). The decrease of the amplitude of the accommodative response was associated with a decrease of the peak velocity (p = 0.004) and the increase of the accommodative lag (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A moderate-high dose of alcohol impairs accommodation dynamics to a greater extent that lower dose of alcohol or smoked cannabis. The deterioration of the accommodation mean speed was higher for a shorter target distance.

Association between Legume Consumption and Risk of Hypertension in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk Cohort

Hypertension is a significant and preventable cardiovascular disease risk factor. Growing evidence suggests legumes have blood-pressure (BP) lowering properties. However, there is little population-based research on legume intake and hypertension risk in Western populations. The objective was to investigate the relationship between legume intake and blood pressure by using data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk cohort. Further, to identify any potential legume intake that confers benefits in relation to blood pressure. We included participants who completed both 7-day food diaries to assess legume intake and undertook a first (1993−1997) and second (1998−2000) health check from the EPIC-Norfolk prospective study. Legume consumption was categorized using percentile cut off values. We used multivariate logistic regression models to calculate the odds ratio of hypertension (defined as >140 mmHg systolic and/or >90 mmHg diastolic blood pressure) at the second health check, stratified by legume intake, adjusting for antihypertensive medication use and demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle covariates. A total of 7522 participants were included with mean age (± SD) of 58.0 ± 8.9 years. The follow-up time was 3.7 years (range: 2.1−6.6 years). Mean legume consumption was 17.3 ± 16.3 g/day. Participants in the 97th percentile of legume intake had the lowest odds of subsequent hypertension (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.96). Legume consumption between 55−70 g/day was associated with reduced odds of hypertension (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.88); sex-specific values for men and women were 0.64 (0.38, 1.03) and 0.32 (0.12, 0.88), respectively. In this UK population, legume intake of 55−70 g/day was associated with a lower subsequent risk of hypertension. Given the low legume intake in the UK and Western countries, dietary guidance to increase intake above 55 g/day may lower the burden of hypertension and associated diseases.

Dietary Patterns in Association With Hypertension: A Community-Based Study in Eastern China

Objective

This study aimed to explore the association between dietary patterns and hypertension based on a community–based survey in Suzhou, Eastern China.

Methods

This cross–sectional analysis was undertaken from the subset of the Suzhou Food Consumption and Health State Survey in 2018–2019. Adults aged ≥ 18 years were invited to participate in this survey. Dietary intake was collected by a 24–h dietary recall and a weighing method over three consecutive days (including two weekdays and one weekend day). Dietary patterns were defined using factor analysis. Association between the dietary patterns and hypertension was examined by multivariable logistic regression models with adjustment for covariates. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was used to reinforce our findings.

Results

A total of 2,718 participants were included in the final analysis. Rice-vegetable pattern, fast food pattern, fruit-dairy pattern, and wheat-meat pattern were identified. We observed that the fruit-dairy pattern was inversely associated with hypertension after adjustment for all the covariates (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.75; P = 0.002). The association between the wheat-meat pattern and hypertension was attenuated and became statistically nonsignificant in sensitivity analyses. The other two patterns were not significantly associated with hypertension (P &gt; 0.05).

Conclusion

The fruit-dairy pattern was inversely associated with the risk of hypertension among Chinese adults. Our findings further emphasize the important role of optimal diet combination in the prevention of hypertension.

Alcoholic beverage consumption, changes in blood pressure, and incidence of hypertension in the Longitudinal Adult Health Study (ELSA-Brasil)

OBJECTIVES

Alcohol consumption is generally associated with increased risk of hypertension. We aimed to investigate, prospectively, the effect of alcoholic-beverage consumption on blood pressure (BP) and incidence of hypertension, after a 4-y follow-up, in participants of the Longitudinal Adult Health Study (ELSA-Brasil).

METHODS

We analyzed information from 3,990 participants (ages 35-74 y), men and women, from educational and research institutions, at baseline (2008-2010) and follow-up (2012-2014). Socioeconomic, hemodynamic, anthropometric, and health data were collected. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg and/or use of antihypertensive medication. Change in alcohol consumption (g/d) was estimated by subtracting total consumed at follow-up from total consumed at baseline, and was categorized in tertiles.

RESULTS

The consumption of alcoholic beverages was associated with changes in BP and hypertension only in men. Individuals who reduced total consumption of alcohol showed a smaller increase in systolic BP (1.1 versus 2.3 mm Hg; P = 0.03) and diastolic BP (1.3 versus 2.2 mm Hg; P = 0.008) compared to individuals who increased consumption. In addition, individuals in the highest tertiles of total consumption of alcohol (odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.29) and consumption of beer (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.07-12.13), wine (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01-2.86), and spirits (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.21-3.32) showed higher odds ratios for hypertension compared to the lowest tertile.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased consumption of alcoholic beverages was positively associated with increased BP levels and higher chances of developing hypertension in men.

The Effects of Metal Exposures on Charlson Comorbidity Index Using Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Regression Model: NHANES 2011-2016

BACKGROUND

With the rising incidence of chronic diseases, and the increase of aging population has led to multimorbidity a serious public health problem. The aim of this study was to explore the association between metal exposures and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), which will provide valuable information for improving quality of life and reducing mortality.

METHODS

The study sample consists of three continuous cycles (2011-2016) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 4901 eligible subjects were included in the study. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model was utilized to investigate the effects in metal exposures on CCI, which includes spot urine (arsenic, mercury, and cadmium), whole blood (manganese, selenium, and lead), and serum (copper and zinc).

RESULTS

In count part (CCI ≥ 0), holding other variables constant, the expected change in CCI for a one-unit increase in blood selenium is 0.997 (RR = 0.997, p = 0.017). In logit part (CCI = 0), the log odds of having CCI equals zero would increase by 0.659, 1.073, and 0.963 for every additional urinary cadmium (OR = 0.659, p = 0.007), blood lead (OR = 1.073, p = 0.023), blood manganese (OR = 0.963, p = 0.025), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicated that cadmium and manganese were likely to increase mortality. Inversely, selenium and lead might be positive on people's health. The findings may be extremely essential for preventing diseases and improving life quality.

Treatment and adherence to antihypertensive therapy in France: the roles of socioeconomic factors and primary care medicine in the ESTEBAN survey

Antihypertensive drugs remain one of the main beneficial strategies for cardiovascular disease prevention. The objective of our study was to investigate the associations of different clinical and socioeconomic (SES) factors, and the use of primary care medicine with treatment and adherence (proportion of days covered (PDC) by treatment) to hypertension management in French participants aware of their hypertension. Cross-sectional analyses of treatment for hypertension and adherence to treatment were performed using data from 396 participants from the ESTEBAN survey, a representative sample of the French population. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate associations between SES factors (age, sex, education, income, civil status), clinical factors, health care (general practitioner (GP) visits, cardiologist visits, number of consultations, home blood pressure measurement (HBPM)), treatment and adherence. A total of 265 of the 396 hypertensive patients were treated. Antihypertensive drug use was more common among elderly individuals (OR: 2.73 [1.14; 4.32), diabetic patients (OR: 4.18 [1.92; 6.44] and overweight hypertensive patients (OR = 3.04 [1.09; 4.99]). GP consultations and HBPM were associated with increased treatment (OR: 1.03 [1.01; 1.05]; OR: 1.97 [1.06; 2.61], respectively). The PDC was higher among men (p = 0.045) and couples living together (p = 0.018) but lower among diabetic patients (p = 0.012) and patients visiting a cardiologist (p = 0.008). Education and income levels were not associated with either treatment or the PDC. In France, SES factors seemed to have little impact on treatment and adherence to antihypertensive drug regimens. However, treatment administered by GPs and HBPM may play key roles in hypertension management. Although the PDC was quite low, both the number of GP consultations and HBPM were positively associated with pharmacological treatment.

Association of depressive symptoms and socioeconomic status in determination of blood pressure levels and hypertension: The CONSTANCES population based study

BACKGROUND

Inconsistent association between depression and hypertension has been highlighted. The association of depression with blood pressure (BP) might depend upon socioeconomic status (SES), but evidence remains weak.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine how the associations between depressive symptoms and BP levels and hypertension and then, according to SES variables (education, income, occupational status).

METHODS

Among 66,478 volunteers of the French CONSTANCES cohort (31,093 men; mean age (standard deviation): 47.8 (12.9) years), depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). Overall associations between depressive symptoms and BP and hypertension were estimated using regressions and by stratifying on SES.

RESULTS

SES were associated with BP in both genders. CES-D score was negatively associated with systolic BP (SBP) in women (b=-0.62 95%CI [-1.03; -0.21] and in men (b=-1.03 95%CI [-1.45; -0.61]) but not with diastolic BP (DBP) in both genders. In women, the decrease in SBP and DBP was more pronounced as educational level increases (p for interaction: 0.012 and 0.013, respectively). In men, few interactions were observed between CES-D score and SES factors for BP levels. The association between CES-D score and hypertension was significant for men, OR=0.86, 95%CI [0.80; 0.93] but not for women, OR=1.03, 95%CI [0.96; 1.10]. No interactions were observed between CES-D score and SES for hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Gender differences were observed for considering depressive symptoms according to SES factors for BP variation and hypertension. In women, educational level was the SES factor which has the main modifying effect on this association.

Home blood pressure monitoring in France: Device possession rate and associated determinants, the Esteban study

Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is increasingly being promoted in hypertension guidelines to improve hypertension management. Possessing a HBPM device could improve blood pressure (BP) control and prognostic impact. The aims of this study were to estimate the possession rate of HBPM devices in the French population and in hypertensive adults, and to investigate the determinants of possessing such devices at home. Cross-sectional analyses were performed using data from the Esteban survey, which comprised a representative sample of the French population. Among the 2,054 study participants, 673 had hypertension. Of these, 385 were aware they had it. Weighted logistic regressions were performed to investigate the factors (socioeconomic, clinical, drug treatment, and healthcare visits) associated with possessing a HBPM device. 20.9% of the study sample, 42.1% of those with hypertension, and 54% of those aware of their hypertension, possessed a HBPM device. Female gender (OR = 2.03, 95%CI [1.46; 2.60]), smoking (OR = 2.33, 95%CI [1.51; 3.15]), antihypertensive drugs (OR = 1.75, 95%CI [1.06; 2.44]), general practitioner (GP) visits (OR = 3.28, 95%CI [1.84; 4.68]), and diabetes (OR = 0.41 95% CI [0.14; 0.68]) were associated with possessing a HBPM device among those aware of their hypertension. Over 20% of the study population possessed a HBPM device at home. This proportion rose to one in two in those aware or their hypertension. Among the latter, possessing a device was positively associated with female gender, GP visits, and antihypertensive drug use. Increasing possession of HBPM devices in the hypertensive population could foster better management of the condition.

Associations between urinary cadmium levels, blood pressure, and hypertension: the ESTEBAN survey

Cadmium is inconsistently associated with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. Our study focuses to understand the association between urinary cadmium levels, blood pressure, and hypertension in a French representative sample. Our study included 2015 subjects from the ESTEBAN survey (2014-2015) with measured urinary cadmium. Associations between natural logarithm-transformed cadmium levels and BP (systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)) were performed by adjusted linear regression models. Associations between cadmium and hypertension were performed by adjusted logistic regression models. Models were stratified by gender, smoking habits, body mass index (BMI), and kidney function categories. Men present higher SBP (131.7 vs. 121.5 mmHg, p < 0.0001) and DBP (78.9 vs. 74.7 mmHg, p < 0.0001) in comparison to women. Creatinine-adjusted urinary cadmium levels (0.48 vs. 0.39 μg/L, p < 0.0001) were higher in hypertensive subjects. Nevertheless, no difference was observed after adjustment for age, gender, and smoking habits. No correlation between urinary cadmium, BP, and hypertension was observed in overall population. Stratified models showed inverse correlations between urinary cadmium and hypertension among obese (OR = 0.39, 95% CI [0.21-0.57], p = 0.0009), chronic kidney function (OR = 0.68 95%CI [0.75-0.97], p = 0.003), and current smokers (OR = 0.78, 95% CI [0.64-0.92], p = 0.04). A correlation between urinary cadmium levels, BP, and hypertension is observed in subpopulations. Nevertheless, directions and significance of these associations differs by gender, BMI, smoking, and kidney function categories.

Benefits and Risks of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease: Current Findings and Controversies

Alcohol has a hormetic physiological behavior that results in either increased or decreased cardiovascular risk depending on the amount consumed, drinking frequency, pattern of consumption, and the outcomes under study or even the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. However, the vast majority of studies elucidating the role of alcohol in cardiovascular and in the global burden of disease relies on epidemiological studies of associative nature which carry several limitations. This is why the cardiovascular benefits of low–moderate alcohol consumption are being questioned and perhaps might have been overestimated. Thus, the aim of this review was to critically discuss the current knowledge on the relationship between alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease. Besides new evidence associating low and moderate alcohol consumption with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, several questions remain unanswered related to the concrete amount of safe consumption, the type of alcoholic beverage, and the age-, sex-, and genetic/ethnical-specific differences in alcohol consumption.

Niacin, lutein and zeaxanthin and physical activity have an impact on Charlson comorbidity index using zero-inflated negative binomial regression model: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014

Background

Combined with the increasing life expectancy, chronic medical conditions have gradually become the dominant cause of death and disability, and multimorbidity became an increasingly serious public health challenge. However, most existing studies have focused on the coexistence of specific diseases or relatively few diseases. Given one person may have multiple diseases at the same time, we applied Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to systematically evaluate one’s 10-year mortality. In this study, we explored the effects of nutrients and physical activity on CCI using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014 data.

Methods

The study sample consists of one continuous cycle (2013–2014) of NHANES, and 4386 subjects were included in the study. Nutrients intake was measured by dietary recall, and physical activity was evaluated by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire respectively. Besides, CCI was the sum of the scores assigned for each medical condition. We utilized zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model to investigate the effects in nutrients intake and physical activity on CCI by adjusting for seven sociodemographic characteristics, smoking and drinking.

Results

Among the 4386 participants, 2018 (68.7%) are Non-Hispanic White, over half participants (78.6%) drink. In count part (CCI ≥ 0), holding other variables constant, the expected change in CCI for a one-unit increase in niacin is 1.621(RR = 1.621, p = 0.016), in lutein + zeaxanthin is 0.974 (RR = 0.974, p = 0.031), and in sedentary time is 1.035 (RR = 1.035, p = 0.005). Moreover, those who do not have vigorous work activity would be more likely to have higher CCI than those who have (RR = 1.275, P = 0.045). In logit part (CCI = 0), the log odds of having CCI equals zero would increase by 0.541 and 0.708 for every additional vigorous recreational activity (OR = 0.541, p = 0.004) and moderate recreational activity (OR = 0.708, p = 0.017) respectively.

Conclusions

Lutein and zeaxanthin intake, vigorous work activity, vigorous recreational activity and moderate recreational activity may be good for one’s health. Rather, increasing niacin intake and sedentary activity may be likely to raise 10-year mortality. Our findings may be significant for preventing diseases and improving health, furthermore, reducing people’s financial burden on healthcare.