title: Serum antioxidant vitamins and blood pressure in the United States population.
abstract: Serum vitamin C has been inversely associated with blood pressure in several epidemiologic studies, but little is known about effect of other antioxidant vitamins. We examined the relation between serum vitamins A, C, and E, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene levels and blood pressure among 15 317 men and women > or =20 years of age who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Blood pressure was characterized as the average of 6 measurements obtained over 2 visits by trained observers and hypertension was defined as blood pressure > or =140/90 mm Hg and/or taking antihypertensive medications. In multivariate models, a 1 SD difference in vitamin A (16.2 microg/dL) and vitamin E (20.4 microg/dL) was associated with a 43% (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.34 to 1.53) and 18% (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.27) higher odds of hypertension, respectively. A 1 SD difference in alpha-carotene (0.47 micro g/dL) and beta-carotene (496 microg/dL) was associated with a 16% (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.94) and 11% (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.97) lower odds of hypertension, respectively. In addition, serum vitamins A and E were positively and significantly associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, whereas alpha-carotene and beta-carotene were inversely and significantly associated with systolic and vitamin C associated with diastolic blood pressure in multivariate linear regression analyses. These findings indicate that antioxidant vitamins may be important in the underlying cause and prevention of hypertension. Further studies in this important area are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, La, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hamm
authors.forename: Vecihi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Batuman
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Whelton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D016017:Odds Ratio; D044469:Racial Groups; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood; D014815:Vitamins / Q000097:blood*; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014815:Vitamins; D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D002338:Carotenoids; C041635:alpha-carotene; D001205:Ascorbic Acid