RELATED: What Is the DASH Diet? A Guide to the Plan for Losing Weight and Lowering Blood Pressure
More Evidence That Red Meat May Worsen Blood Pressure
“Although some studies have suggested that higher intake of red meat, especially processed red meat, is associated with higher risk of hypertension, the associations of chicken or fish intake with hypertension risk remain inconsistent,” says Gang Liu, PhD, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “Previous studies did not take into account one important factor — different meat cooking methods."
Chemicals Created When Meat Protein Is Charred May Add to Risk
The study aimed to examine the connection between high blood pressure and the different cooking methods. It also examined whether an increased intake of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), the chemicals formed when meat protein is charred or exposed to high temperatures, would increase the risk of high blood pressure. The study included men and women in the United States who eat two or more servings of meat per week. RELATED: 21 Tips for Weight Loss That Actually Work
Sizzle Issue: Open-Flame, High-Temp Cooking Is Linked to Risk
Researchers discovered that more open-flame or high-temperature cooking, and a preference for eating well-done meat, were both independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension. The connection between the cooking temperature and hypertension risk was prevalent in both red-meat eaters and white-meat eaters. RELATED: Do You Really Need to Eat Less Red Meat?
Diet and Hypertension: What the Study Suggests but Doesn’t Prove
For the participants in the study who ate at least two servings of red meat, chicken, or fish a week, researchers found the following upticks in high blood pressure risk:
Hypertension risk was 17 percent higher in those surveyed who ate grilled, broiled, or roasted beef, chicken or fish more than 15 times a month, compared with those consuming it fewer than 4 times a month.High blood pressure risk was 15 percent higher in people who prefer their food well done compared with those who prefer rarer meats.The risk for developing high blood pressure was 17 percent higher in people estimated to have consumed the highest levels of HAAs, compared with those with the lowest intake.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About the Flexitarian Diet
In Meat Protein, High Temperatures Create Chemicals That Increase Inflammation Levels in the Body
“Accumulating evidence has suggested that cooking meats at high temperature can facilitate the production of several hazardous chemicals, including HAAs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and advanced glycation end products, which may induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance in animal models,” says Dr. Liu. “These pathophysiological pathways may also lead to an elevated risk of developing hypertension. In our study, we also found that levels of estimated intake of HAAs were independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension, suggesting that the association between high-temperature cooking and hypertension risk could be partially explained by the intake of HAAs. In addition, high-temperature cooking was associated with weight gain and obesity risk, which is an important risk factor for hypertension.” RELATED: 8 Foods That Fight Inflammation
Char-Grilled Asparagus May Be Okay, Says Researcher
According to Liu, whether high-temperature cooking for other types of food, such as vegetables, can increase the risk of hypertension remains unknown. “Among individuals who consume red meat, chicken, or fish regularly,” Liu says, “our findings imply that avoiding the use of open-flame or high-temperature cooking methods, including grilling or barbecuing, broiling, and roasting, may help reduce your risk of developing hypertension.” RELATED: Reversing Diabetes With Weight Loss: How Much Should You Lose?
