Abstract P184: Meat Cooking Methods and Risk of Hypertension: Results From Three Prospective Cohort Studies

Abstract

Background: The role of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking (grilling/barbequing, broiling, or roasting) and doneness preferences (rare, medium, or well-done) in the association between meat consumption and risk of hypertension remains unknown. This study aimed to examine cooking methods for meats (red meats, chicken, or fish) in relation to hypertension risk among men and women who consumed meat regularly (≥2 servings/week). Methods: Study population consisted of 32,925 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS 1996-2012), 53,852 women from the NHSII (2001-2013), and 17,104 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS 1996-2012), who were free of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline. Results: We documented 37,123 incident hypertension cases during 1.06 million person-years of follow-up. After multivariate adjustments of covariates including total consumption of red meats, chicken, and fish, a higher frequency of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking and a preference for higher meat doneness level were both independently associated with an increased hypertension risk. When comparing open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking >15 times/month with <4 times/month, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of hypertension was 1.17 (1.12, 1.21; P trend <0.001). When comparing the extreme quartiles of meat doneness level score, the pooled HR (95% CI) of hypertension was 1.15 (1.12, 1.19; P trend <0.001). The associations persisted when data were analyzed by individual meat groups: comparing extreme groups, for red meats, the pooled HR (95% CI) of hypertension was 1.18 (1.13, 1.23; P trend <0.001) for open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking and 1.15 (1.12, 1.19; P trend <0.001) for high meat doneness level; for white meats (chicken and fish), the pooled HR (95% CI) of hypertension was 1.12 (1.08, 1.16; P trend <0.001) for open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking and 1.10 (1.07, 1.14; P trend <0.001) for high meat doneness level. Moreover, levels of estimated intake of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) were also independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension. Comparing extreme quintiles of HAAs, the pooled HR (95% CI) of hypertension was 1.16 (1.13, 1.21; P trend <0.001). These associations were attenuated but remained significant when further adjusting for baseline body mass index. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, independent of the amount of meat consumption, open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking and high doneness level for both red meats and white meats are associated with an increased risk of hypertension.