(P20-36-26) Dietary Polyphenol Intake and Blood Pressure Among Adults With Hypertension in the Peruvian Andes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Baseline Data From the ANDES Trial

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate polyphenol intake and its association with blood pressure among adults with hypertension in a high-altitude setting in Puno, Peru.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 154 adults with hypertension participating in a community health worker-led intervention aimed at improving hypertension management. Dietary intake data were collected using three non-consecutive 24-hour recalls. Intake of total polyphenols and their classes (mg/day) was estimated linking foods to the Phenol-Explorer v3.6 database and adjusted for energy using the residual method. We assessed blood pressure in triplicate at the baseline visit using a clinical-grade digital tensiometer (Omron HEM-907XL, Omron, Kyoto, Japan). We used multivariable linear regression to study the association between polyphenol intake and blood pressure, adjusting for age, sex, wealth score, food security status, years of education, occupation, hypertension awareness and treatment, BMI, physical activity, alcohol consumption and A1c.

Results: Mean (± SD) age of participants was 66.5 (±10.9) years, and 51.9% were females. Median (IQR) total polyphenol intake was 185.1 mg/day (120.8–279.7) and mean (±SD) daily energy intake was 1346 (±513.3) kcal/day. The diet was characterized by phenolic acids followed by flavonoids. Potatoes (27.2%), red onions (14.6%), and apples (7.6%) were the main food sources of total polyphenols intake. We found no evidence of an association between tertiles of polyphenol intake and either SBP (adjusted mean difference of 0.66 mmHg, 95% CI -3.2 to 4.5; p=0.73) or DBP (-0.11 mmHg, -2.6 to 2.4; p=0.93).

Conclusions: We did not observe an association between polyphenol intake and blood pressure in this group of participants. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship in LMIC settings.

Funding Sources: Fogarty International Center, NIH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health