Blood Pressure Decreases More after High-Carbohydrate Meals Than after High-Protein Meals in Overweight Adults with Elevated Blood Pressure, but There Is No Difference after 4 Weeks of Consuming a Carbohydrate-Rich or Protein-Rich Diet

Abstract

The replacement of dietary carbohydrates with proteins can lower blood pressure (BP), but the mechanisms remain unclear. This randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study aimed to compare 12-h postprandial sympathetic and hemodynamic responses after high-protein (HP) meals and high-carbohydrate (HC) meals. Fifty-two men and women with untreated elevated BP were tested on d 1 and after 4 wk of supplementation [3 × 20 g protein (HP) or maltodextrin (HC) per day]. No between-group differences were found in postprandial plasma norepinephrine on d 1 and at wk 4. On d 1, postprandial mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased more in the HC group than in the HP group (P = 0.002). This difference was not present at 4 wk, because the postprandial decline in MAP tended to become larger in the HP group after 4 wk of supplementation (P = 0.07). On both test days, postprandial total peripheral resistance tended to decrease more in the HC group (P < 0.08). After 4 wk of supplementation, cardiac output tended to increase more in the HC group (P = 0.08). In conclusion, ingestion of an HP diet induced a smaller decrease in BP on d 1 than did ingestion of an HC diet. This difference disappeared after 4 wk due to a more pronounced decrease in BP in the HP group after 4 wk than on d 1. These findings cannot explain the BP-lowering effect ascribed to dietary proteins.

Dietary proteins improve endothelial function under fasting conditions but not in the postprandial state, with no effects on markers of low-grade inflammation

“…The first study was conducted in the year 2009 in a subset of the study participants of the PROPRES study ( n 52) ( 21 ) , and it consisted of a chronic, 4-week intervention, and postprandial studies with postprandial assessments on the first and last day of the intervention (online Supplementary Fig. S1).…”

“…Twelve-hour postprandial responses to standard mixed meals isoenergetically supplemented with 20 g of the protein mixture or with 20 g of maltodextrin were compared during a 12 h test day at the start and a 12 h test day at the end of the 4-week PROPRES trial. More details on the postprandial part of the PROPRES study can be found elsewhere ( 21 ) .…”

Giving blood donors something to drink before donation can prevent fainting symptoms: is there a physiological or psychological reason?

“…All the afore-mentioned information regards the hemodynamic effects of drinking water but what happens after carbohydrate ingestion? In overweight adults with elevated blood pressure, postprandial total peripheral resistance and mean arterial pressure decrease more after a high-carbohydrate meal than after a high-protein meal [35]. In elderly patients with postprandial hypotension, the lower the carbohydrate content of a meal is, the smaller and shorter the decrease in systolic blood pressure is [36].…”

Utility of home blood pressure monitoring to evaluate postprandial blood pressure in treated hypertensive patients

“…The mean difference in the change in SBP was 0.66 mmHg between lunches 1 and 2, and -2.04 mmHg between lunches 1 and 3. Differences in meal composition and time interval of blood pressure measurements after lunch could contribute to the relatively wide limits of agreement [Luciano et al 2010;Teunissen-Beekman et al 2013]. This limitation could be compensated by increasing the number of monitored days.…”

“…Patients with symptomatic or severe postprandial hypotension would benefit from a less stringent blood pressure target. Patients with postprandial hypotension should be advised to avoid high-carbohydrate meals [Teunissen-Beekman et al 2013]. Pharmacological treatment with acarbose (100 mg), an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor that decreases glucose absorption in the small intestine, improves postprandial hypotension [Shibao et al 2007].…”