Gazpacho consumption is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced hypertension in a high cardiovascular risk cohort. Cross-sectional study of the PREDIMED trial

Abstract

(R.M. Lamuela-Raventos). 1 On behalf of the PREDIMED Study Investigators. + MODELPlease cite this article in press as: Medina-Remón A, et al., Gazpacho consumption is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced hypertension in a high cardiovascular risk cohort. Abstract Background and aim: Hypertension is a major public health problem and a leading cause of death and disability in both developed and developing countries, affecting onequarter of the world's adult population. Our aim was to evaluate whether the consumption of gazpacho, a Mediterranean vegetable-based cold soup rich in phytochemicals, is associated with lower blood pressure (BP) and/or reduced prevalence of hypertension in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Methods and results:We selected 3995 individuals (58% women, mean age 67 y) at high cardiovascular risk (81% hypertensive) recruited into the PREDIMED study. BP, weight, and dietary and physical activity data were collected. In multivariate linear regression analyses, after adjustment, moderate and high gazpacho consumption categories were associated with reduced mean systolic BP of À1.9 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI): À3.4; À0.6] and À2.6 mm Hg (CI: À4.2; À1.0), respectively, and reduced diastolic BP of À1.5 mm Hg (CI: À2.3; À0.6) and À1.9 mm Hg (CI: À2.8; À1.1). By multiple-adjusted logistic regression analysis, gazpacho consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension, with OR Z 0.85 (CI: 0.73; 0.99) for each 250 g/week increase and OR Z 0.73 (CI: 0.55; 0.98) for high gazpacho consumption groups compared to the no-consumption group. Conclusions: Gazpacho consumption was inversely associated with systolic and diastolic BP and prevalence of hypertension in a cross-sectional Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. The association between gazpacho intake and reduction of BP is probably due to synergy among several bioactive compounds present in the vegetable ingredients used to make the recipe. ª

Dietary phytochemical index is inversely associated with the occurrence of hypertension in adults: a 3-year follow-up (the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study)

“…38 In the PREDIMED trial, patients who consumed high amounts of Gazpacho, a phytochemical-rich vegetable soup, had lower SBP (−2.6 mm Hg, P o0.05), DBP (−1.9 mm Hg, P o 0.05) levels and the risk of HTN in these subjects was also lower (OR = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.55-0.98)) than nonconsumers; it has been suggested that phytochemicals in vegetable components used for preparation of Gazpacho had a synergistic effect on attenuation of blood pressure. 39 In the present study, there was no association between HTN and major phytochemical-rich food groups alone, but dietary PI was inversely associated with HTN occurrence. There is insufficient evidence regarding whether the phytochemical content of different foods has synergistic effects or interaction in the mixed diets.…”

Mediterranean diets supplemented with virgin olive oil and nuts enhance plasmatic antioxidant capabilities and decrease xanthine oxidase activity in people with metabolic syndrome: The PREDIMED study

“…The antioxidant effects of MeDiet observed in plasma could contribute to reduce the prevalence of hypertension in patients with MetS. In fact, the consumption of key foods included in the MeDiet was inversely associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension in a previous PREDIMED cross‐sectional assessment in another subset of the PREDIME trial . Similarly, it has been pointed out that following a MeDiet is inversely associated with the clustering of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia among high‐risk patients .…”

Effects of Vegetables on Cardiovascular Diseases and Related Mechanisms

“…Several cross-sectional studies evaluated the relationship between vegetable intake and CVD risks [ 26 , 51 , 52 ]. It was found that total cholesterol (TC), the TC/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, and hemoglobin A1c were significantly improved in women who consumed more than 10 servings/week of tomato-based food products compared to those consuming fewer than 1.5 servings/week [ 51 ].…”

“…These results suggested a potential effect of potato consumption on CVDs, as high fasting blood glucose, low serum HDL, and diabetes are recognized as CVD risk factors. Furthermore, it was indicated in a cross-sectional study with 3995 Mediterranean participants at high CVD risk that gazpacho (a Mediterranean vegetable-based cold soup that contains plenty of phytochemicals) intake was negatively correlated with hypertension [ 52 ]. It was found that both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the participants reduced with means of −1.9 mm Hg (95% CI: −3.4 to −0.6) and −2.6 mm Hg (95%CI: −4.2 to −1.0) and of −1.5 mm Hg (CI: −2.3 to −0.6) and −1.9 mm Hg (95% CI: −2.8 to −1.1), respectively, in moderate (1 to 19 g/day) and high (more than 20 g/day) gazpacho intake categories, compared with the control group.…”