Vary Your Protein Intake

By Editorial Staff

We all have our favorite foods, and when it comes to protein sources, most people are no different. Some favor red meat, others chicken and turkey; still others fish or vegetarian / vegan options (beans, etc.). While research supports the relative health value of certain protein choices over others (for example, limiting red meat and eating fish), new research suggests varying your protein intake can favorably impact a specific health variable: blood pressure.

Researchers assigned nearly 12,000 adults (average age: 41) a protein "variety score" (0-8) based on how many protein sources they generally ate. Possible protein sources included unprocessed red meat, processed red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, whole grains and refined grains. When evaluating the potential association of new-onset hypertension (high blood pressure) over a six-year period relative to protein variety score, the research team discovered a clear connection between the two.

Specifically, people with higher protein variety scores (four or higher) had a whopping 66 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure compared to people who scored below two on the variety scale. However, researchers also found that total protein intake also influenced blood pressure: People who at the most protein – and those who ate the least – were at highest risk for new-onset hypertension during the study period.

The moral to the story: Vary your protein intake – but also consume protein moderately. Considering that nearly 50 percent of the adult U.S. population suffers from high blood pressure (and thus has an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and/or stroke), it's a moral you can't afford to ignore.