Southern Diet and Risk for Hypertension Among Black Men and Women

The black–white difference in incident hypertension might be explained by the Southern diet, particularly in men, and by other social and clinical factors.

Racial disparities in mortality from cardiovascular disease are driven partly by disparities in hypertension. To explore clinical and social factors that might explain the difference in hypertension incidence in black and white adults, these researchers performed a mediation analysis of data on 6897 normotensive adults (mean age, 62) with follow-up data from the REGARDS study.

In a median follow-up of 9.4 years, 46% of blacks and 33% of whites developed hypertension. Among the 12 preidentified potential mediating factors, a high score for Southern diet (a diet rich in fried foods, organ meats, processed meats, eggs, high-fat dairy, sugar-sweetened beverages, and bread) was the largest mediator of the racial disparity in hypertension, account…

Reviewing Author

Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNovoNordisk; HealthPals; Novartis; Amgen

EquityHealthPals; Carta

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association–Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Editorial BoardsCardiology and Therapy