June 26, 2002
NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
"Nutrition news is important.  We help you understand it!"

Today's Topic: Protein and Blood Pressure

Meat is bad for you according to much of the news media.  It causes
everything from killer diseases to moral decay.  Like many nutrition
stories in the mass media, this does not necessarily reflect the full
perspective.  A study generally ignored by the media concerns findings
that increased animal product intake was associated with lower blood
pressure among Chinese adults.

About 2,000 men and women who averaged 52 years of age were studied at
11 centers, and protein intake was determined by measuring a chemical
in their urine, not simply by asking what they ate.  Average blood
pressure was 122/73; normal is 120/80.  Consumption of calcium and
magnesium were much lower than recommended at 17 and 28 percent of
American suggested targets.  The study appeared in the February 2002
edition of the International Journal of Epidemiology.
< http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/1/227 >

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:  Even in the normal range
of blood pressure, intake of animal protein (meat, poultry, dairy,
fish, and eggs) was associated with lower blood pressure.  A half
dozen other studies also found this, but the measurement of an
accurate marker of animal protein intake greatly strengthens this
finding.  This population has a relatively low protein intake, so it
does not follow that a bacon double cheeseburger is going to help your
blood pressure.

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