Abstract
In China, the frequency of mild hypertension cases remains prevalently high. Meanwhile, diets containing functional ingredients that control blood pressure have received considerable attention. In this randomized, controlled intervention study, 65 participants were randomly assigned to consume 30 g of whey protein or maltodextrin daily for 12 weeks. Blood pressure, body composition, biochemical analysis in plasma, and flow‐mediated dilation (FMD), an index for evaluating endothelial function, were measured. Finally, 54 participants (27 participants in each group) completed the study. At the end of the intervention, the average systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 129.5 ± 7.7 mmHg in the control group and 128.2 ± 6.9 mmHg in the whey protein group (p = 0.052). In the overweight and obese participants, the SBP was significantly lower in the whey protein group than in the control group (126.5 ± 6.9 mmHg vs. 128.8 ± 7.4 mmHg, p = 0.033), and body fat, fat percentage, and waist circumference significantly decreased in the whey protein group (p = 0.010, 0.016, 0.019, respectively). No difference was observed between the control and whey protein groups with regard to the changes in plasma lipids, inflammatory cytokines, antioxidative indexes, endothelium‐1, nitric oxide, angiotensin II, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme. The increase in FMD was significantly higher in the whey protein group than in the control group (5.2% vs. 0.3%, p = 0.040). In conclusion, whey protein significantly decreased SBP in pre‐ and mildly hypertensive adults, who are also overweight and obese. Whey protein also improved endothelial function. The lowering effect of blood pressure was probably related to body fat loss in these participants.
Highlights
Cardiovascular diseases remain the major cause of death worldwide, and hypertension has been identified as a large but modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular mortality (Brunström & Carlberg, 2018)
The effect of whey protein or peptide on blood pressure of participants with abnormal blood pressure was investigated in three trials
Lee indicated that the regular consumption of a milk drink containing whey peptides for 12 weeks has no effect on blood pressure in mildly hypertensive individuals (Lee, Skurk, Hennig, & Hauner, 2007)
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases remain the major cause of death worldwide, and hypertension has been identified as a large but modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular mortality (Brunström & Carlberg, 2018). In 2015, the global age‐standardized prevalence of hypertension is 24.1% in men and 20.1% in women (NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2017). Blood pressure decreased substantially in high‐income countries, it might have increased in some areas such as east and southeast Asia. In China, the age‐ standardized and sex‐standardized prevalence of hypertension is 37.2%, and 66% of the cases is mild hypertension (Lu et al, 2017). Obesity is accompanied by several hormonal, inflammatory, and endothelial alterations. These alterations induce a stimulation of several mechanisms that contribute to hypertension (Seravalle & Grassi, 2017)
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