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(Circulation. 2009;120:221-228.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Epidemiology

Glutamic Acid, the Main Dietary Amino Acid, and Blood Pressure

The INTERMAP Study (International Collaborative Study of Macronutrients, Micronutrients and Blood Pressure)

Jeremiah Stamler, MD^*; Ian J. Brown, PhD^*; Martha L. Daviglus, MD, PhD; Queenie Chan, MPhil; Hugo Kesteloot, MD, PhD; Hirotsugu Ueshima, MD, PhD; Liancheng Zhao, MD; Paul Elliott, MB, PhD, for the INTERMAP Research Group

From the Department of Preventive Medicine (J.S., M.L.D.), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (I.J.B., Q.C., P.E.), Faculty of Medicine, St Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Central Laboratory (H.K.), Akademisch Ziekenhuis St. Rafael, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Health Science (H.U.), Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan; and Department of Epidemiology (L.Z.), Fu Wai Hospital and Cardiovascular Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

Correspondence to Jeremiah Stamler, MD, Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 680 N Lake Shore Dr, Suite 1102, Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail j-stamler{at}northwestern.edu

Received November 27, 2008; accepted May 15, 2009.

Background— Data are available that indicate an independent inverse relationship of dietary vegetable protein to the blood pressure (BP) of individuals. Here, we assess whether BP is associated with glutamic acid intake (the predominant dietary amino acid, especially in vegetable protein) and with each of 4 other amino acids that are relatively higher in vegetable than animal protein (proline, phenylalanine, serine, and cystine).

Methods and Results— This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 4680 persons 40 to 59 years of age from 17 random population samples in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. BP was measured 8 times at 4 visits; dietary data (83 nutrients, 18 amino acids) were obtained from 4 standardized, multipass, 24-hour dietary recalls and 2 timed 24-hour urine collections. Dietary glutamic acid (percentage of total protein intake) was inversely related to BP. Across multivariate regression models (model 1, which controlled for age, gender, and sample, through model 5, which controlled for 16 possible nonnutrient and nutrient confounders), estimated average BP differences associated with a glutamic acid intake that was higher by 4.72% of total dietary protein (2 SD) were –1.5 to –3.0 mm Hg systolic and –1.0 to –1.6 mm Hg diastolic (z scores –2.15 to –5.11). Results were similar for the glutamic acid–BP relationship with each of the other amino acids also in the model; eg, with control for 15 variables plus proline, systolic/diastolic pressure differences were –2.7/–2.0 mm Hg (z scores –2.51, –2.82). In these 2–amino acid models, higher intake (by 2 SD) of each of the other amino acids was associated with small BP differences and z scores.

Conclusions— Dietary glutamic acid may have independent BP-lowering effects, which may contribute to the inverse relation of vegetable protein to BP.

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Circulation 2009 120: 183-184. [Extract] [Full Text]