BLOOD-PRESSURE DIFFERENCES IN OLDER BLACK-AND-WHITE LONG-TERM VEGETARIANS AND NONVEGETARIANS

The vegetarian diet has been associated with lower blood pressure (BP) in elderly white Americans. This study was undertaken to determine wh ether or not long-term adherence (at least 5 years) to a plant-based d iet is similarly related to lower BP in older black Americans, a group exhibiting significant risk for hypertension (HT). Anthropometric cha racteristics, nutrient intake, and resting systolic and diastolic BP w ere measured in older black vegetarians (n = 27, age = 69.3 +/- 1.7 ye ars), black nonvegetarians (n = 37, age = 65.4 +/- 1.2 years), white v egetarians (n = 85, age = 66.7 +/- 1.0 years), and white nonvegetarian s (n = 54, age = 65.2 +/- 0.9 years). Older black vegetarians were sig nificantly leaner and exhibited lower average systolic BP (131.4/76.8 mm Hg) and less hypertension than the black omnivores (141.6/76.2 mm H g), but had significantly higher average BP than either dietary group of older white adults (vegetarians: 120.9/66.7 mm Hg; nonvegetarians: 122.8/67.6 mm Hg). These data suggest that long-term adherence to a ve getarian diet by older black Americans may afford some protection agai nst hypertension, but in comparison to older white adults, does not co mpletely offset their apparently greater susceptibility to untoward el evation of BP.