Protein supplementation lowers blood pressure in overweight adults: effect of dietary proteins on blood pressure (PROPRES), a randomized trial.
What this study found
Protein supplementation lowered blood pressure versus maltodextrin. After 4 weeks, office systolic blood pressure was 4.9 mm Hg lower in the protein group than the maltodextrin group (95% CI 1.5, 8.2; P = 0.005) and office diastolic blood pressure was 2.7 mm Hg lower (95% CI 0.1, 5.4; P = 0.05). Daytime systolic blood pressure was 4.6 mm Hg lower (95% CI 1.3, 7.9; P = 0.006), while daytime diastolic blood pressure was not different (P = 0.43). The supplement was generally well tolerated, with adverse effects reported by 2 of 48 participants (4%) in the protein group.
- Study & population
- Randomized trial in overweight men and women with untreated upper-range prehypertension or grade 1 hypertension, living on a weight-maintaining diet.
- Intervention
- The active intervention was a protein supplement (Agglomix) providing 3 x 20 g/day, 60 g/day total, taken with meals for 4 weeks and dissolved in 200 mL water.
- Key limitation
- The intervention was short, lasting only 4 weeks, so durability and long-term clinical relevance are unknown.
View source
Open PDFOriginal abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary protein intake may help to manage blood pressure (BP) and prevent complications associated with elevated BP. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether 4 wk of increased protein intake (∼25% compared with ∼15% of energy intake that isoenergetically replaces carbohydrate intake) lowers office and daytime BP compared with increased carbohydrate intake. DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, parallel study compared consumption of 3 × 20 g protein/d (20% pea, 20% soy, 30% egg, and 30% milk-protein isolate) with 3 × 20 g maltodextrin/d. Protein or maltodextrin were isoenergetically substituted for a sugar-sweetened drink. Primary outcomes were office and daytime BP. A total of 99 men and women [age range: 20-70 y; BMI (in kg/m²): 25-35] with untreated elevated BP (BP ≥130/85 and <160/100 mm Hg) were randomly assigned. Ninety-four completers (51 subjects in the maltodextrin group, 43 subjects in the protein group) were included in the analyses. RESULTS Office systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 4.9 ± 1.7 mm Hg (P = 0.005) and 2.7 ± 1.3 mm Hg (P = 0.05) lower, respectively, in the protein group. Daytime SBP was 4.6 ± 1.7 mm Hg lower in the protein group (P = 0.006), whereas daytime DBP did not differ between groups (P = 0.37). Urinary sodium excretion was higher in the maltodextrin group (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION Increased protein intake, at the expense of maltodextrin, lowers BP in overweight adults with upper-range prehypertension and grade 1 hypertension. This trial was registered at www.trialregister.nl as NTR 1362.