Can it modify Japan’s virtual diet to defeat hypertension? New research shows that white rice exchange for whole grains and adding vegetables can be the key without losing cultural roots
Study: Close attachment to Japanese diet is not related to a high prevalence of hypertension: Japan’s Epidemiology Cooperation in the Vocational Health Study. Credit Picture: Andrei Iakhniuk / Shutterstock
In a recent article published in DietaryThe researchers examined the correlation between modified and traditional dietary patterns in Japan, linking the diet to the prevalence of hypertension to 12,213 Japanese workers.
Their findings show that while traditional Japanese diet is not significantly linked to hypertension, after a modified Japanese diet, which contains more cereals, dairy products, raw vegetables and fruits, it has shown a reinforcement reverse correlation with hypertension.
Background
It is estimated that 1.28 billion adults around the world are affected by hypertension, which contributes significantly to stroke and heart disease. Dietary habits, especially sodium consumption, are closely linked to blood pressure.
This has led to the health authorities such as the International Hypertension Society and the World Health Organization to propose to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits and reducing salt intake to manage the situation. Global dietary interventions, especially Mediterranean and eating approaches to stop dietary hypertension plans (DASH), are particularly effective, with regional eating habits playing an important role.
Traditional Japanese diet, rich in salty foods and largely based on ingredients such as Miso, Soy, Fish and White Rice, has been linked to increased blood pressure due to high sodium content, despite other positive documented health effects. However, salt intake has been reduced by World War II, with Japan’s dietary landscape shifting to include more western foods such as fruits and dairy products.
For the study
The researchers looked at whether the traditional diet or a healthier, modified Japanese diet was linked to hypertension between Japanese workers. They apply a design of a transverse or observation study to data collected from 2018 to 2020 for the study of Japanese Epidemiology on Professional Health (J-ECOH).
The study included 12,213 employees (88.1% men, average age 42.2) from five companies who completed a lifestyle questionnaire and a health control. People with missing dietary or other variable data and people with a history of cardiovascular disease or cancer have been excluded. Blood pressure was measured during the tests and hypertension was observed if the systolic pressure was greater than 140 mmHg, the diastolic pressure was greater than 90 mmHg or the participant used hypertensive drugs.
Food frequency questionnaires with 28 items were used to evaluate the diet. The researchers used this data to create two dietary scores, based on average consumption for each element, with each element giving one point. Traditional Japanese nutrition rating was based on nine items: green tea, salty food, fish, algae, mushrooms, vegetables, soy products, miso soup and white rice. The modified nutrition rating was based on 11 objects, adding raw vegetables, fruits and dairy products, reversing the savory salty food and replacing white rice with whole grains.
The researchers used a Poisson regression model to examine the prevalence of hypertension in different quarters of dietary adhesion, including variables such as professional factors, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and demographics.
Findings
Based on the data of 12,213 employees, the researchers compared those who followed modified Japanese diets with those with more traditional nutrition standards. Initial analyzes suggest that the highest attachment to both diets was associated with lower rates of hypertension.
However, after confusing variables were included in the model, only the modified diet showed a reinforcing reverse correlation with hypertension (PR for the highest compared to the lower quarter: 0.94, 95% CI 0.87-1.01) and the effect of traditional diet on hypertension became statistically insignificant. Stratigated models showed that this reverse relationship was more intense in those with less than 13 years of training. Among people with a lower body mass index (BMI <23 kg/m²), traditional diet was positively linked to hypertension.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that the modified Japanese diet, which places greater emphasis on potassium -rich foods and lower sodium fiber, could be better for blood pressure control. It can compensate for the effects of sodium by promoting sodium excretion and the improvement of the nutrient balance.
However, the study did not find a clear relationship between hypertension and traditional Japanese diet, possibly due to balance between blood pressure reduction foods (eg vegetables, algae) and salty foods. Changes in dietary habits over the years and the relatively younger age of participants (average 42 years) could explain the weaker sizes of results.
Despite the use of validated tools and a large sample size, the design of transverse section means that researchers cannot complete the cause and result. The self -reported nature of dietary data is another issue, as is the likelihood of unstable variables of confusion. Finally, these findings are not generalized in other groups derived from a primarily population (88.1%) working for large companies.
Thus, while a modernized Japanese diet could help prevent hypertension while maintaining cultural food practices, further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
